The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Arizona continues to rise.
In an effort to track the changes, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Wednesday, July 22.
Major updates:
- There have been 150,609 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 2,974 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.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There have been 150,609 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 2,974 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 148,683 cases and 2,918 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 131,354 cases and 2,434 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 22 de julio
Confirmed coronavirus cases reaches 150,000 in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported more than 1,900 new coronavirus cases and 56 new deaths on Wednesday.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 150,000, just over two weeks after reaching the 100,000 mark.
Arizona reached 50,000 coronavirus cases on June 21. The state reached 1,000 coronavirus deaths on June 5.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at .97 on Wednesday.
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 5,411 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 7, when 74 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.
Phoenix VA opens beds for COVID-19 patients
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs opened 10 beds at its Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix.
The beds are five acute care beds and five intensive care beds.
The beds were opened to non-Veteran, critical and non-critical COVID-19 patients.
The transfer of non-Veterans began on July 11.
UArizona expands free COVID-19 antibody testing program
The University of Arizona and state of Arizona are expanding their free COVID-19 antibody testing program.
The program will now include 15 new categories of essential workers considered at high risk for exposure.
The following essential workers, in addition to workers in eight other employment categories, are now eligible for antibody testing under the program:
- Educators
- Child care workers
- Agriculture, grocery and food service workers
- Hospitality employees
- Solid waste collection workers
- Transportation services workers
- Members of the National Guard
More information and registration for the test is available at covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu.
WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE:
Volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trial needed
A Valley research center is in need of volunteers from the Phoenix area to participate in a trial for a new coronavirus vaccine.
The Hope Research Institute in Phoenix is helping with research for a vaccine from the company Moderna. Three Valley clinics will participate.
The final stages of Moderna's vaccine trial is set to begin on July 27.
For more information on how to sign up go to the Hope Research Institute's website or visit the Facebook page.
Worldwide COVID-19 cases surpasses 15 million
The number of people worldwide infected with the coronavirus has surpassed 15 million Wednesday.
In the worst-hit pandemic hot spot of the United States, President Donald Trump warned the pandemic would “get worse before it gets better.”
There are more than 617,000 killed from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Free COVID-19 tests in Phoenix
HeroZona Foundation will be hosting a free COVID-19 test site through Saturday and again next week.
It will be a drive-thru testing location.
It will be free to the public.
You can find more information in the tweet below.
Hoffman: Schools should reopen based on metrics, not dates
Arizona's top education official says schools should be empowered to reopen their campuses this fall based on public health data rather than aiming for a particular date.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said Tuesday that she outlined her priorities to Gov. Doug Ducey, who is expected to announce the next steps for schools this week.
He has previously closed schools through Aug. 17.
Hoffman says schools also need a guarantee of full funding for distance learning. Ducey and his top health official said last week that they would prefer for their own children to be in school on campus.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation cases grow by 22, three new deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 22 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and three more deaths.
The total number of COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation is 8,639.
The total number of deaths has reached 425 as of Tuesday.
Reports indicate that approximately 6,437 individuals have recovered from COVID-19.
74,045 people have been tested for COVID-19.
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) 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 150,609 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 2,974 coronavirus-related deaths.
That is an increase from 148,683 cases and 2,918 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
That's an increase of 1,926 new cases reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 3,500 new cases reported on Tuesday.
There were 56 new deaths reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 134 deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 5,411 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 7, when 74 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 8,005 new tests were reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 15,133 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 1,027,125 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
12.5% of those tests have been positive, an increase from 12.4% on Tuesday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 100,543
- Pima: 13,990
- Pinal: 6,910
- Coconino: 2,736
- Navajo: 4,898
- Apache: 2,797
- Mohave: 2,464
- La Paz: 445
- Yuma: 9,713
- Graham: 314
- Cochise: 1,296
- Santa Cruz: 2,401
- Yavapai: 1,463
- Gila: 600
- Greenlee: 39
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.
