PHOENIX — The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Arizona continue to rise.
In an effort to track the changes, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Friday, July 31.
Major updates:
- There have been 174,010 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,694 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.
- 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 174,010 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 3,694 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 170,798 cases and 3,626 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
A week ago, there were 156,301 cases and 3,142 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 31 de julio: Siguen en aumento los casos y muertes según reportes del viernes
More than 3,200 new cases, 68 deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported more than 3,200 new cases and 68 new deaths on Friday.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 174,000 on Friday. The state's death toll topped 3,600 on Thursday, one week after reaching 3,000.
Arizona reached 50,000 coronavirus cases on June 21. The state reached 3,000 coronavirus deaths on July 23, 2,000 deaths on July 9 and 1,000 on June 5.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 0.91 on Friday, up from .90 on Thursday.
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 5,439 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths were July 7 and 15, when 81 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.
Ducey declines to back increase in Arizona unemployment
Gov. Doug Ducey is pushing Congress to renew federal payments for people left jobless because of the pandemic, but he declined to support increasing Arizona’s state unemployment payments that are among the lowest in the nation.
Ducey said Thursday that “this is on Congress.”
Arizona’s unemployment payment maxes out at $240 per week. It's the second-lowest in the nation above only Mississippi.
During the pandemic, that state payments have been supplemented by a $600 weekly payment funded by the federal government, but Congress does not appear on track to extend the funding before it lapses this week.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Coconino National Forest to extend closure to Aug. 31
Recreation sites at the Coconino National Forest will remain closed until Aug. 31 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Officials said Friday that the White Rock Campground was removed from the closure order and is scheduled to re-open on Saturday.
“The health and safety of our communities and employees remains our number one priority," Forest Supervisor Kerwin Dewberry said in a statement.
"While visitor centers and group areas will remain closed, we recommend people continue to recreate responsibly. We ask that visitors please continue to follow local, state and federal guidelines on social distancing."
Navajo Nation reports 51 more COVID-19 cases, 1 more death
Navajo Nation health officials have reported 51 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one additional death.
The total number of people infected on the reservation now stands at 9,019 with 454 known deaths as of Thursday night.
Tribal health officials said 80,280 people have undergone testing and 6,627 have recovered from the virus.
The Navajo Nation once had one of the highest per-capita rates of coronavirus infections in the U.S.
The daily number of reported cases has declined overall, but nighttime curfews, weekend lockdowns and a mask mandate remain because of recent surges in COVID-19 off the reservation, which covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
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 Friday
There have been 174,010 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 3,694 coronavirus-related deaths.
That is an increase from 170,798 cases and 3,626 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
There were 3,212 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 2,525 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were 68 new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 172 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 5,439 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths were July 7 and 15, when 81 people died each day. That is subject to change.
In total, 22,068 new tests were reported on Friday, an increase from the 13,867 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 1,161,640 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
12.6% of those tests have been positive, down from 12.7% on Thursday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 117,293
- Pima: 16,167
- Pinal: 7,990
- Coconino: 2,947
- Navajo: 5,202
- Apache: 2,994
- Mohave: 2,918
- La Paz: 469
- Yuma: 10,880
- Graham: 451
- Cochise: 1,503
- Santa Cruz: 2,599
- Yavapai: 1,733
- Gila: 809
- Greenlee: 55
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.
