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Coronavirus in Arizona on March 16: 497 new cases, 21 new deaths reported Tuesday

There have been 833,878 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,574 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.

PHOENIX — Editor's note: Here's the live blog for March 17.

12 News continues to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak and vaccination efforts in Arizona with our daily live blog.

Here is the live blog for Tuesday, March 16.

RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona: Frequently Asked Questions

Major updates: 

  • There have been 833,878 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,574 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
  • There have been 2,590,447 total vaccines administered as of Tuesday.
  • 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 Tuesday

There have been 833,878 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,574 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.

That's an increase from the 833,381 confirmed cases and 16,553 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.

A week ago, there were 827,800 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,326 deaths reported in Arizona.

LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 16 de marzo: 497 nuevos casos, 21 muertes reportadas el martes

497 new cases, 21 new deaths reported Tuesday

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 497 new cases and 21 new deaths on Tuesday.

Tuesday also marked the fourth day in a row that the department reported less than 1,000 new cases each day.

Related hospitalizations declined to 473 as of Monday, down from the Jan. 11 pandemic high of 5,082. 

Arizona’s seven-day rolling average for daily new cases dropped from 1,192.4 on Feb. 28 to 877.8 on Sunday while the rolling average of daily deaths dropped from 79.7 to 37.8 during the same period. That's according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Arizona has administered 2,590,447 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Tuesday.

The department said more than one million people in Arizona are fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.

1,007,600 people were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Arizona as of Tuesday, the department said. 

1,628,587 people in Arizona have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday. That's 22.7% of people in Arizona.

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.

There were 12,420 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Jan. 5, with 11,780 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 171 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 165 people died. That is subject to change.

Arizona reached 800,000 coronavirus cases on Feb. 17, 700,000 on Jan. 22, 600,000 on Jan. 9, 500,000 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 16,000 coronavirus deaths on on March 2, 15,000 on Feb. 17, 14,000 on Feb. 6, 13,000 on Jan. 29, 12,000 on Jan. 22, 11,000 on Jan. 15, 10,000 on Jan. 9, 9,000 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.

Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.

Phoenix to reopen outdoor recreation areas

Phoenix City County voted unanimously to reopen city-owned recreational areas.

The list includes parks, ramadas, courts, pools and splash areas that have been closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Social distancing and mask requirements will still be in place.

Vaccines available for Peoria residents

To register, call the Peoria Community Center anytime between Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Second doses will be automatically assigned at the initial appointment. 

Pfizer first doses will be available March 17 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with the second dose on April 7. 

The Moderna first dose will be March 18 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with the second dose on April 15.

Is Arizona falling behind on vaccinating people in elderly care homes?

Arizona is continuing to vaccinate adults, but there is evidence that some elderly care homes are falling through the cracks. 

Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.

Pima County expands vaccine eligibility to adult at-home LTC recipients

Pima County health officials announced that people with disabilities and high-risk medical conditions who are receiving long-term care services at home are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Pima County Health Department made the announcement in a post on Monday after the Arizona Development Disability Network advocated for people living with disabilities. 

Existing guidance included adults living in long-term care facilities, but evidence showed people receiving those same services at home face higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and mortality. 

The county health department's ethics committee reviewed the existing guidance and revised it to include:

Adults 18 years and over, living with disabilities (physical, intellectual/developmental, mental health and /or sensory) and/or high risk medical conditions who are receiving long term care service at home will now be eligible for vaccination.

MORE: Pima County COVID-19 vaccine information

Navajo Nation reports no COVID-19 deaths for 2nd day in row

The Navajo Nation on Monday reported six new cases of COVID-19, but no additional deaths for the second consecutive day.

The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s pandemic total to 29,954 confirmed cases. 

The known death toll remained at 1,218. 

The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening Monday with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions.  

Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain.  

On Monday, the Navajo Department of Health identified two communities, Baca Prewitt and Coyote Canyon, as having uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 from Feb. 26 to March 11. 

That compares with 75 communities that were identified in January as having uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.

The above article is from The Associated Press. 

Here is the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona

The Arizona Department of Health Services said more than 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Tuesday.

Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?

The state and each county is offering vaccines to people in Phase 1B. Gila County has extended vaccines to some people in Phase 1C. Learn more about the phases here.

How can I sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine?

You can sign up for a vaccine through the state here or find more information about finding up through the counties here.

Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?

There are four locations where the state is administering vaccines: State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and University of Arizona's Tucson campus. All other locations are run through the individual counties or federal programs.

Where can I find more information on a COVID-19 vaccine?

You can find more vaccine information at 12News.com/Vaccine.

COVID-19 data dashboard now includes vaccine information

The Arizona Department of Health Services updated its COVID-19 data dashboard to include information including vaccination numbers and demographic data.

The new information can be found on the dashboard in the tab right next to the summary tab where daily coronavirus cases, deaths, and testing numbers are updated.

You can see the updated dashboard here.

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:

“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.

Sign up for the free masks here.

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 Tuesday

There have been 833,878 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,574 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.

That's an increase from the 833,381 confirmed cases and 16,553 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.

There were 497 new cases reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 638 new cases reported on Monday. 

There were 21 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the zero new deaths reported on Monday.

There were 12,420 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Jan. 5, with 11,780 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 171 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 165 people died. That is subject to change.

In total, 12,525 new diagnostic tests were reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 7,290 new tests reported on Monday.

There have been a total of 8,167,740 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Tuesday. 

11.1% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, a decrease from 13.9% on Monday.

Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:

  • Maricopa: 521,093
  • Pima: 111,400
  • Pinal: 47,884
  • Coconino: 16,891
  • Navajo: 15,575
  • Apache: 10,725
  • Mohave: 21,676
  • La Paz: 2,420
  • Yuma: 36,601
  • Graham: 5,343
  • Cochise: 11,427
  • Santa Cruz: 7,694
  • Yavapai: 18,129
  • Gila: 6,457
  • Greenlee: 562

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. 

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.

For the latest news about COVID-19, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus, watch our 12 News YouTube Playlist here.

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