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 Wednesday, March 17.
Major updates:
- There have been 834,323 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,586 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- There have been 2,646,874 total vaccines administered 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.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There have been 834,323 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,586 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 833,878 confirmed cases and 16,574 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 828,630 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,404 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 17 de marzo: 445 nuevos casos, 12 muerte se reportan el miércoles
445 new cases, 12 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 445 new cases and 12 new deaths on Wednesday.
Wednesday also marks five days in a row that the department reported less than 1,000 new cases each day.
Arizona has administered 2,646,874 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Wednesday.
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 12,426 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 11,782 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.
Health experts warn of potential 4th coronavirus wave
Health experts in Arizona and across the country are warning of a potential fourth wave of coronavirus. Team 12's Rachel Cole has the latest.
Maricopa County says some last-minute vaccine appointments available in Mesa
The Maricopa County Public Health said Wednesday that there were a limited number of vaccine appointments available for the same day.
County residents who were 55 and older could sign up for the vaccine appointments.
County health officials said anyone who is eligible can go to https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov, search for today's date and look for "Mesa Convention Center 3/17 Public."
Phoenix says Maryvale testing site opens Wednesday afternoon
The city of Phoenix said a testing site in Maryvale would be open starting Wednesday afternoon.
The Maryvale Community Stationary Site would be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
More information could be found at http://Phoenix.gov/COVIDtesting.
Arizona: More than 1M people in state now fully vaccinated
Arizona officials said more than 1 million residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
That represents nearly 14% of the state’s estimated population of nearly 7.3 million, or about one of every seven residents.
The state on Tuesday reported 21 more COVID-19 deaths and 497 additional confirmed cases,
That keeps Arizona on a trend of fewer than 1,000 cases reported on six of the previous eight days.
The latest figures increased the state’s pandemic totals to 16,574 deaths and 833,678 confirmed cases.
Related hospitalizations declined to 473 as of Monday, down from the Jan. 11 pandemic high of 5,082.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 2 new cases of COVID-19, 1 more death
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported two new cases of COVID-19 and one more death.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s pandemic total to 29,957 confirmed cases and 1,219 known deaths.
The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening Monday with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions.
Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain.
The Navajo Department of Health has 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 2.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Wednesday.
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:
- 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 834,323 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,586 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 833,878 confirmed cases and 16,574 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 445 new cases reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 497 new cases reported on Tuesday.
There were 12 new deaths reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 21 new deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 12,426 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 11,782 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, 22,777 new diagnostic tests were reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 12,525 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 8,190,456 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
11.1% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, the same as Tuesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 521,251
- Pima: 111,427
- Pinal: 48,063
- Coconino: 16,894
- Navajo: 15,572
- Apache: 10,726
- Mohave: 21,715
- La Paz: 2,422
- Yuma: 36,604
- Graham: 5,344
- Cochise: 11,439
- Santa Cruz: 7,698
- Yavapai: 18,143
- Gila: 6,461
- 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.
Coronavirus facts you should know
For the latest news about COVID-19, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus, watch our 12 News YouTube Playlist here.