PHOENIX — 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 Friday, Jan. 8.
Major updates:
- There have been 596,251 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,938 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
- 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.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Friday
There have been 596,251 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,938 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 584,593 confirmed cases and 9,741 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 530,267 cases and 9,015 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 8 de enero: 11,658 nuevos casos, 197 muertes se reportan el viernes
11,658 new cases, 197 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 11,658 new cases and 197 new deaths on Friday.
Arizona had one person of every 115 people diagnosed with COVID-19 from Dec. 30 to Wednesday.
The diagnosis rate is obtained by dividing the state population by the number of additional cases.
With the surge stressing Arizona hospitals, 4,907 COVID-19 patients occupied inpatient beds as of Thursday, including a pandemic record 1,122 in intensive care beds.
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 1.09 on Wednesday, down from 1.10 on Tuesday.
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 11,192 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 10,498 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the days with the highest numbers of deaths were Dec. 17 and 18, when 113 people died each day. 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.
More than 125,000 frontline workers vaccinated
More than 125,000 frontline workers have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
There are four counties that moved into Phase 1B of vaccinations. They include Apache, Gila, Mohave and Pinal counties.
Peoria Unified School District cancels lessons for Monday, Jan. 11
The Peoria Unified School District has canceled both in-person and virtual classes for Monday, Jan. 11 because of staffing shortages related to "sick-out" calls.
The schools are Cactus, Centennial, Liberty, Ironwood, Peoria and Sunrise Mountain high schools and Country Meadows, Pioneer and Santa Fe elementary schools.
The district plans to update families if an extension is required by Monday at 4 p.m.
See the full letter below.
State Farm Stadium to become 24/7 COVID-19 vaccination site
State Farm Stadium in Glendale will be utilized as a 24/7 COVID-19 vaccination site beginning Monday, Jan. 11, according to Gov. Doug Ducey's office.
This will "dramatically expand the availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the Phoenix metropolitan area," according to a release from the Governor's office.
The Arizona Department of Health Services says the opening of the site will help vaccinate thousands of more individuals each day as Maricopa County moves into Phase 1B of vaccine distribution.
Phase 1B begins to prioritize protective service workers, teachers and K-12 school staff, child care workers, and those age 75 and older.
The State Farm Stadium site will open the afternoon of Monday, January 11 for law enforcement and other protective service workers, and appointments for others in Phase 1B and Phase 1A will be available starting Tuesday, January 12. Registration information for the site will be posted Monday morning at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
Some Arizona counties expected to expand COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Some Arizona counties are expected to expand their COVID-19 vaccine rollout next week. Team 12's Rachel Cole has the latest.
Valley ER doctor says COVID-19 vaccines giving health care workers boost in morale
We caught up with a Valley ER doctor to see how he is feeling now that COVID-19 vaccines are starting to be distributed. Team 12's Ryan Cody has the latest.
Arizona to receive $65M for COVID-19 vaccine clinics
Arizona will receive more than $65 million from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to "support COVID-19 vaccine clinics and strengthen vaccine confidence and community engagement," Gov. Doug Ducey's office announced Friday.
The money will be used to get Arizonans vaccinated quickly and safely.
It will help communities that may have difficulties reaching a vaccine site, engaging with communities that have a low confidence in vaccines and ensuring high quality, safe and equitable vaccine distribution.
The governor's office said 123,862 Arizonans have received the COVID-19 vaccine, with 2,127 fully vaccinated as of Friday.
More than 126,000 vaccinations have been administered in Arizona.
Gila and Pinal Counties have moved to Phase 1B of vaccine distribution, meaning protective services workers, teachers, child care workers, and those 75 and older are now prioritized for vaccination in those counties.
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 governor's office said 123,862 Arizonans have received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday.
Maricopa County health officials said they have given out 68,892 COVID-19 vaccines as of Friday.
Pima County health officials said they would also move into Phase 1B next week.
Tucson hospital launches center for virus antibody treatment
Federal health officials are teaming up with a Tucson hospital to provide COVID-19 medicines that may help keep infected people out of the hospital.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Tucson Medical Center on Thursday began administering monoclonal antibody therapeutic treatments at a temporary COVID-19 infusion center.
The department says the center is the second federally supported infusion facility in the country to treat certain COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms but who are at high risk of severe illness or hospitalization.
Antibodies are made by the body’s immune system to fight the virus.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 257 new COVID-19 cases, 6 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Thursday reported 257 new coronavirus cases and six more deaths.
The latest figures increased the tribe’s totals since the pandemic began to 24,521 cases and 844 known deaths.
Health officials said more than 212,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 on the reservation and more than 12,600 have recovered.
On Monday, the Navajo Department of Health 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 tribe has extended the stay-at-home order and weekend lockdowns through Jan. 25.
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 Friday
There have been 596,251 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,938 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 584,593 confirmed cases and 9,741 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 11,658 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 9,913 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were 197 new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the record-high 297 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 11,192 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 10,498 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the days with the highest numbers of deaths were Dec. 17 and 18, when 113 people died each day. That is subject to change.
In total, 28,327 new tests were reported on Friday, an increase from the 16,322 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 3,412,719 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
13% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, up from 12.9% on Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 367,856
- Pima: 79,190
- Pinal: 32,178
- Coconino: 12,368
- Navajo: 12,242
- Apache: 8,119
- Mohave: 14,699
- La Paz: 1,788
- Yuma: 30,368
- Graham: 3,966
- Cochise: 8,533
- Santa Cruz: 6,507
- Yavapai: 13,020
- Gila: 4,964
- Greenlee: 451
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.
