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 23.
Major updates:
- There have been 837,244 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,798 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
- There have been 2,940,466 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 837,244 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,798 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 836,737 confirmed cases and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
A week ago, there were 833,878 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,574 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 23 de marzo: 507 nuevos casos, 53 muerte se reportan el martes
507 new cases, 53 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 507 new cases and 53 new deaths on Tuesday.
Tuesday also marked the 11th day in a row that the department reported less than 1,000 new cases each day.
As of Monday, 650 COVID-19 patients occupied inpatient beds. That's up from 647 on Sunday but far below the Jan. 11 pandemic high of 5,082.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, the seven-day rolling average of daily cases plummeted from 1,345 on March 7 to 479 on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the rolling average of daily deaths dropped from 49.9 to 27.4 during the same period.
Arizona has administered 2,940,466 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Tuesday.
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 12,410 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 11,766 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 173 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 169 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.
Arizonans 16 and older can register for COVID-19 vaccine at state-run sites starting Wednesday
Arizonans aged 16 and older will be able to register for a COVID-19 vaccine starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Registration at the state-operated COVID-19 vaccination sites in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties will be open to all Arizonans ages 16 and older.
Anyone looking to book a vaccination appointment can do so at the Arizona Department of Health Services' website.
This new age group can only book at the state-run sites in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties: State Farm Stadium in the West Valley, Chandler-Gilbert Community College in the East Valley, Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, University of Arizona's campus in Tucson and the Yuma Civic Center.
Here are the approximate numbers of first-dose appointments currently available through Sunday for each state site:
- State Farm Stadium: 21,700
- Phoenix Municipal Stadium: 9,700
- Chandler-Gilbert Community College: 1,900
- UArizona: 1,200
Elliott said the department expects to make around 80,000 more first-dose appointments available at 11 a.m. Friday for state sites, including the new state site in Yuma.
Elliott also said people can check podvaccine.azdhs.gov each day for appointments made available due to cancellations, which usually number in the hundreds.
Maricopa County will also open vaccine appointments to all residents aged 18 and older for those receiving the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 16 and older for the those receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
You can go to 12News.com/Vaccine for more information.
RELATED: Arizonans 16 and older can register for COVID-19 vaccine at state-run sites starting Wednesday
FDA testing COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women in the Valley
The FDA is accelerating testing of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women and clinics are beginning to recruit women, including at four sites here in the Valley.
The FDA compressed trial stages 2 and 3 into one for efficiency. That means experts are looking to see if the vaccine causes different reactions in pregnant women as compared to the general population.
Dr. Greg Marchand, who is an OBGYN at Marchand Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery and very familiar with FDA trials, spoke to the importance of the study.
“Until we have data like this, and studies like this are completed, we’ll never really know with 100% certainty," he said.
Ten thousand women have received the vaccine, and there are no serious reactions to report.
Marchand is recommending some women get vaccinated under the already authorized FDA’s emergency use provision.
"So that means women that are gonna have jobs where they’re going to be face to face with a lot of new people every day, things like first responders, grocery store clerks," he said.
Medical professionals are giving it to women who are 24-34 weeks pregnant because there is a chance their babies will also be born immunized.
Marchand said he had some advice for women considering this trial as an option.
“There’s no question when you sign up for an FDA trial, you're being a little bit of a guinea pig," said Marchand.
"If somebody wasn't going to get the COVID vaccine anyway, and was going to wait until phase 3, it probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to jump and be the first person in line here."
Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
Navajo Nation president speaks to 12 News about COVID-19 response, milestone
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez joined Today In AZ to talk about the nation's response to COVID-19 and a major milestone they just reached.
Navajo Nation reports no new coronavirus cases and no deaths
The Navajo Nation on Monday reported no new COVID-19 cases and no deaths.
It was the second consecutive day that the tribe has not recorded a coronavirus-related death.
The death toll remains at 1,233 since the pandemic began with the number of confirmed cases at 30,007 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening last week with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions.
Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain.
Tribal health officials say more than 191,000 vaccine doses have been distributed.
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 2.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Tuesday.
Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?
The state and Maricopa County has expanded vaccine eligibility to Arizonans 16 and older. Other counties are 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 Tuesday
There have been 837,244 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,798 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 836,737 confirmed cases and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
There were 507 new cases reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 484 new cases reported on Monday.
There were 53 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the zero new deaths reported on Monday.
There were 12,410 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 11,766 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 173 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 169 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 12,613 new diagnostic tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 20,904 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 8,355,452 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
11% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, the same since March 13.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 521,908
- Pima: 111,950
- Pinal: 48,935
- Coconino: 16,963
- Navajo: 15,604
- Apache: 10,772
- Mohave: 21,968
- La Paz: 2,436
- Yuma: 36,684
- Graham: 5,350
- Cochise: 11,547
- Santa Cruz: 7,763
- Yavapai: 18,302
- Gila: 6,499
- Greenlee: 563
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.