In an effort to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Major updates:
- There have been 574,680 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,444 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered, but Johns Hopkins University estimates the number of people who have recovered.
- You can find COVID-19 testing sites here.
- Go to 12News.com/Vaccine to find more information on the COVID-19 vaccines.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
- Maricopa County to expand COVID-19 vaccination rollout next week
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There have been 574,680 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,444 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 567,474 confirmed cases and 9,317 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 512,489 cases and 8,718 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 6 de enero: 7,206 nuevos casos, 127 muertes se reportan el miércoles
7,206 new cases, 127 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 7,206 new cases and 127 new deaths on Wednesday.
It was the second day in a row that the state reported a triple-digit number of COVID-19 deaths.
Arizona also has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the country, with one person of every 119 people in the state being diagnosed with the virus in the past week.
State health data show Arizona had a record 4,877 virus patients occupying hospital beds as of Tuesday.
Arizona’s cases, deaths and hospitalizations have been steadily rising before Thanksgiving, when gatherings and travel were expected to further spread the coronavirus.
The department reports the number of new cases on the day the cases were reported to them by counties and hospitals, not on the day when someone was diagnosed with the virus.
Arizona reached 500,000 coronavirus cases on Dec. 28, 400,000 on Dec. 12, 300,000 on Nov. 23, 200,000 on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21.
The state reached 9,000 coronavirus deaths on Jan. 1, 8,000 on Dec. 22, 7,000 on Dec. 9, 6,000 on Nov. 3, 5,000 on Aug. 29, 4,000 on Aug. 6, 3,000 deaths on July 23, 2,000 on July 9 and 1,000 on June 5.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 1.11 as of Monday.
The Rt is essentially a mathematical number that shows whether more people are becoming infected or less.
The concern is that any Rt over 1, no matter how small, means the virus may grow exponentially.
There were 10,881 cases reported on the collection date of Dec. 28, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 29, with 10,418 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Dec. 17, when 107 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was July 17, when 103 people died. That is subject to change.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.
Some get second dose of virus in Arizona
Maricopa County to expand COVID-19 vaccination rollout next week
Maricopa County Public Health announced Wednesday that it would expand its COVID-19 vaccination rollout next week.
The county will open up vaccination scheduling for people in Phase 1B starting Monday.
People in Phase 1B are K-12 school staff and childcare workers, law enforcement/protective services and adults age 75 and older.
Any health care workers in Phase 1A who still need to make their first appointments will be able to do so, but they will not be prioritized over people in Phase 1B.
Appointments will be available at POD sites that are not already fully-booked for second doses to individuals from Phase 1A.
The department said 119,653 Arizonans have received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday.
Maricopa County health officials said they have given out 58,874 COVID-19 vaccines as of Wednesday.
Pima County health officials said they would start vaccinating people in Phase 1B next week as well.
RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine rollout disappointing as some Arizona health care workers prepare for second dose
Arizona National Guard to train volunteers to administer COVID-19 vaccines
Members of the Arizona National Guard will start training volunteers to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
The volunteers are retired medical professionals and current medical students, the National Guard said.
Once the volunteers are trained, they will work with the medical community and National Guard members to administer the vaccines.
Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
Arizona medical expert answers your COVID-19 questions
Dr. Frank LoVecchio with Valleywise Health Medical Center is answering your questions about COVID-19.
You can find all the all the segments at 12News.com/YouTube.
Arizona businesses getting a helping hand to stay open during COVID-19 pandemic
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced the state will provide $2 million to help local restaurants, while Barstool Sports stepped in to help another Valley business.
COVID-19 outbreak at Mohave County jail
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Kingman jail.
There were 18 inmates who tested positive in one housing unit, the sheriff's office said.
Several inmates began reporting COVID-like symptoms, including body aches, headache, loss of taste and smell, on Monday.
Five inmates were then tested and tested positive. The other inmates were tested on Tuesday.
Thirteen of the inmates did not have any symptoms when they tested positive.
All of the inmates were moved to two different housing units and placed under quarantine protocols.
Before this, the jail had only had 22 positive cases among inmates and 11 positive cases among staff since May.
University ramps up virus testing; most classes to be online
The University of Arizona is ramping up its COVID-19 testing program as it gears up for the Sept. 13 start of the spring semester that will again see most classes conducted online during the current COVID-19 surge.
The university also started the fall semester by offering most classes online under a reentry plan that had only certain research labs and performing arts courses meeting in person.
According to the university, approximately 3,900 students are enrolled in those essential classes out of the total enrollment of approximately 46,000.
The university’s testing program will require weekly testing for students living in dorms or attending in-person classes.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Spring training could be delayed for Double-A, Class A
Spring training could be delayed for Double-A and Class A players if major leaguers are not vaccinated for the novel coronavirus by the time big league practice is scheduled to start in mid-February.
Major League Baseball, which has taken over operation of the minors, gave notice to minor league teams in a letter sent Monday.
Big league spring training remains on track to start on time in mid-February, but a final decision for an on-time start has not yet been made.
As of now, no timetable has been set to vaccinate big leaguers, the official said.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
No indoor Masses in metro Tucson for 4 weeks due to COVID-19
Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Pima County, Catholic churches across metro Tucson are canceling indoor Mass for four weeks.
Diocese of Tucson officials announced Tuesday that indoor mass celebrations and baptisms will be suspended starting Friday until Feb. 5.
They say masses can be held outdoors and pastors may request permission from the bishop to hold an indoor mass.
Diocese officials say funerals and weddings can be held indoors, but they will be limited to 25 people while baptisms will be limited to 10 people.
Gatherings before or after ceremonies will not be allowed on Diocese property.
The Diocese will hold a review on Feb. 1 to discuss any changes regarding the coronavirus pandemic before the suspension’s scheduled end.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 118 new COVID-19 cases, 15 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Tuesday reported 118 new COVID-19 cases and 15 more deaths.
The latest figures increased the tribe’s totals since the pandemic began to 23,978 cases and 837 known deaths.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
On Monday, the Navajo Department of Health on Monday identified 73 communities with uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 on the tribe’s vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Arizona health department sets up hotline to report businesses
The Arizona Department of Health Services has set up two ways for people to report local businesses that are not following COVID-19 guidelines.
People can report businesses through a hotline or through an online form:
- Submit a complaint online at www.azhealth.gov/complianceCOVID19
- Calling the COVID-19 Compliance Hotline at 1-844-410-2157
“There’s a role for the public as well: If you believe a business isn’t following these requirements, which were established for the safety of customers, employees, and the broader public, ADHS encourages you to share your concerns so local and state officials can follow up as needed,” AZDHS said in a statement.
Free masks available for some Arizonans
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced that some Arizonans would be able to get free masks from the state.
The department partnered with Hanes to provide free face masks to Arizona’s most vulnerable populations.
Anyone who is part of a vulnerable population (including, but not limited to, individuals with medical conditions or individuals age 65 or older), a student (or parents on behalf of students), school staff member or who may not be able to purchase one is able to get a free mask.
Each other will provide five washable, reusable cloth face masks, one order per household.
The department hopes to give out two million cloth face masks.
Anyone with questions can visit the department's FAQs page or contact Hanes at 1-800-503-6698.
Arizona releases ZIP code locations of coronavirus cases, other data
The Arizona Department of Health Services has released expanded data points regarding coronavirus cases in the state.
The AZDHS website now features the location of confirmed cases in Arizona by zip code.
You can see the current ZIP code map here and can find yours by clicking around or searching for your ZIP code in the top right of the map.
More information on coronavirus cases from Wednesday
There have been 574,680 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,444 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 567,474 confirmed cases and 9,317 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 7,206 new cases reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 5,932 new cases reported on Tuesday.
There were 127 new deaths reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the record-high 253 new deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 10,881 cases reported on the collection date of Dec. 28, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 29, with 10,418 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Dec. 17, when 107 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was July 17, when 103 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 20,938 new tests were reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 16,338 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 3,368,064 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
12.8% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, up from 12.7% on Tuesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 354,810
- Pima: 76,243
- Pinal: 30,729
- Coconino: 11,981
- Navajo: 12,011
- Apache: 7,942
- Mohave: 14,109
- La Paz: 1,686
- Yuma: 29,394
- Graham: 3,548
- Cochise: 8,148
- Santa Cruz: 6,367
- Yavapai: 12,491
- Gila: 4,789
- Greenlee: 428
Click on the links below to find more information from each county's health department:
COVID-19 is believed to be primarily spread through coughs or sneezes.
It may be possible for the virus to spread by touching a surface or object with the virus and then a person touching their mouth, nose or eyes, but this is not thought to be the main method of spread, the CDC says.
You should consult your doctor if you traveled to an area currently affected by COVID-19 and feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, so the best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:
- Wear face coverings while in public.
- Practice social distancing while in public.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
You can text FACTS to 602-444-1212 to receive more information on the coronavirus and to ask questions.
