PHOENIX — 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 Friday, March 26.
Major updates:
- There have been 838,558 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,898 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
- There have been 3,105,814 total vaccines administered 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.
- 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.
- Arizona to release more COVID-19 vaccine appointments Friday
- Gilbert holding food drive Friday, Saturday for residents in need
- Arizona to open drive-thru indoor COVID-19 vaccination site in Mesa
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Friday
There have been 838,558 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,898 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 837,987 confirmed cases and 16,874 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 835,030 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,691 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 26 de marzo: 571 nuevos casos, 24 muertes se reportan el viernes
571 new cases, 24 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 571 new cases and 24 new deaths on Friday.
Friday also marked the 14th day in a row that the department reported less than 1,000 new cases each day.
The additional cases reported Friday were four times as many as on Thursday but Arizona’s s seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths declined over the past two weeks.
There were 626 COVID-19 patients occupying inpatient rooms as of Thursday, up from 628 as of Wednesday but only a fraction of the pandemic high of 5,082 on Jan. 11.
Arizona has administered 3,105,814 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Friday.
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 12,411 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 11,756 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 172 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.
Gilbert holding food drive Friday, Saturday for residents in need
The city of Gilbert is holding a community-wide food drive on Friday and Saturday to help residents impacted by COVID-19.
Anyone who is willing to participate can bring food donations to these locations between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday or Saturday.
You can find the items in need on the city's website. You can also donate cash to these organizations.
"We need YOUR help due to the continuing impact of COVID-19 on the Gilbert community," Gilbert Feeding Families said on its website.
"The pandemic continues to impact a large number of people who need the basics, such as food, and a critical component of the food bank supply has been altered because of the lack of annual food drives and ability of grocery stores to donate."
The food drive was first held last May, when more than 120 bins of food and $32,000 in cash donations were collected. The city said it helped provide 262,000 meals to the Gilbert community.
You can find more information here.
Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
What's next for Arizonans as COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues?
It's a question at top of mind for Arizonans as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues: What's next for daily life?
Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
Arizona to release more COVID-19 vaccine appointments Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services will release more COVID-19 vaccine appointments on Friday.
The department has previously said that it would release new, first-dose appointments for the following week each Friday at 11 a.m.
Here are the number of appointments expected to be available at each site for next week:
- State Farm Stadium: 38,540
- Phoenix Muni: 13,980
- UArizona: 8,150
- Chandler-Gilbert CC: 10,200
- Yuma Convention Center: 6,300
The department urges Arizonans to check back with the site regularly throughout the week for more available appointments due to cancellations.
You can find those appointments here.
Arizona to open drive-thru indoor COVID-19 vaccination site in Mesa
Arizona will open a state-run indoor drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site in Mesa on April 5.
Gov. Doug Ducey's office announced Friday that a Mesa distribution center operated by Dexcom, which makes continuous glucose monitoring products for people with diabetes, will serve as the site.
The center is located at 8046 E. Ray Road, near the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and Power Road.
It will be the Valley’s first state-run indoor drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site.
This site will replace the outdoor one at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
Arizonans who received first doses at Chandler-Gilbert on March 14 and after have been scheduled for their second doses at the Dexcom site.
The site will start out offering 3,000-4,000 appointments a day, operating from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. It can support 12,000 appointments and 24/7 operation.
Appointments are required for anyone visiting the site.
You can make an appointment here.
The ADHS has declined having a FEMA vaccine site in the state
The Arizona Department of Health Services released a letter on Friday stating that while they will continue working with FEMA for COVID response, a federally-run vaccine site will not be made in Arizona.
The ADHS names the primary reason for declining FEMA's offer is because the state has good availability and unfulfilled capacity.
Pima County has expressed interest in a FEMA vaccine location and the ADHS is working with them to independently partner.
The full letter is attached below.
Arizona governor lifts mask mandates, re-opens bars
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is prohibiting government mask mandates and allowing bars and nightclubs shuttered for months to open their doors without restrictions.
Ducey’s move Thursday leaves in place few of the restrictions he implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
His order still allows businesses to enforce mask mandates if they want, but cities, towns and counties must lift theirs.
Restrictions on gatherings of 50 or more people also were lifted, but organizers are required to “encourage” safety precautions like social distancing.
The Republican governor cites rising vaccination rates and the opening of vaccine appointments to all adults, as well as a declining number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
RELATED: Gov. Ducey lifts remaining COVID-19 restrictions in Arizona, not all Valley businesses will comply
Mohave County expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults
Health officials with Mohave County announced it will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults starting Friday.
The Mohave County Health Department will open vaccinations for everyone 18 and older effective Friday morning.
County Health Director Denise Burley said in a statement, “The tapering of demand in our county and the increased doses being allocated to us enable this transition to all adults in the county.”
The county will be allocated 10,000 Moderna doses and 1,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week.
"We now have a sufficient amount of vaccine on hand, and appointments available in all communities," Burley said.
"This is a great time to make an appointment as we get vaccinations to all in our county who want it.”
Anyone in the county can make an appointment online or by calling 928-753-8665.
Navajo Nation reports 9 new COVID-19 cases and 8 more deaths
The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported nine new COVID-19 cases and eight additional deaths.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s numbers to 30,031 cases and 1,243 known deaths since the pandemic began.
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 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
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 3.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Friday.
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 and Mohave County opened vaccines to all adults. 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 Friday
There have been 838,558 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,898 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 837,987 confirmed cases and 16,874 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 571 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 138 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were 24 new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 32 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 12,411 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 11,756 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 172 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 26,779 new diagnostic tests were reported on Friday, a decrease from the 30,879 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 8,427,112 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Friday.
10.9% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, the same as Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 522,624
- Pima: 112,134
- Pinal: 49,136
- Coconino: 16,995
- Navajo: 15,636
- Apache: 10,790
- Mohave: 22,041
- La Paz: 2,441
- Yuma: 36,703
- Graham: 5,359
- Cochise: 11,546
- Santa Cruz: 7,780
- Yavapai: 18,289
- Gila: 6,521
- 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.