In an effort to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Wednesday, March 3.
Major updates:
- There have been 819,954 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,089 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- There have been 1,902,637 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.
Gov. Ducey issues executive order saying schools must offer in-person learning by March 15, with multiple exemptions
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order on Wednesday saying that all schools outside of high COVID-19 transmission areas must return to in-person learning by March 15.
There are a few exemptions to the order. Schools in counties with high COVID-19 transmission, which includes Coconino, Yavapai, and Pinal, are exempt. A student may also continue participating in virtual instruction if their parent or guardian chooses to do so.
"We prioritized teachers in our vaccine distribution, and many have already received their second dose," Gov. Ducey said. "The science is clear: it’s time all kids have the option to return to school so they can get back on track and we can close the achievement gap.”
Scottsdale Unified School District middle and high schools to provide full days following Spring Break
For the first time since March 6, 2020, middle and high school students in the Scottsdale Unified School District will be able to attend in-person classes for a full day when they come back from Spring Break on March 15.
A 3-2 vote by the SUSD Governing Board determined the change on Tuesday night.
The full announcement has been attached below.
Arizona vaccine appointments to be opened up to all ages by start of summer, officials say
Arizonans between the ages of 35 and 55 may be getting the vaccine much earlier than anticipated, according to a recent update from Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ.
Vaccines will tentatively be opened up to people over the age of 45 at the beginning of April, Dr. Christ said. That age minimum will reportedly be dropped again to those 35 and older at the end of April or beginning of May.
Dr. Christ also said Arizonans should anticipate the vaccine process to be opened up to all ages by the start of summer.
The original vaccination plan for Arizona said those over the age of 65 would be allowed to get the vaccine. Then, an announcement was made on Monday that the minimum age requirement was being dropped to 55.
RELATED: Appointments book up at state sites as Arizona opens COVID-19 vaccines to people 55 and older
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There have been 819,954 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,089 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 818,670 confirmed cases and 16,060 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 811,968 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,693 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 3 de marzo: 1,284 nuevos casos, 29 muerte se reportan el miércoles
1,284 new cases, 29 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,284 new cases and 29 new deaths on Wednesday.
Arizona has administered 1,902,637 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 are 170 hospitalizations per 1 million in Arizona as of Tuesday, down from 176 on Monday, according to The COVID Tracking Project. You can find more data from the project here.
There were 12,220 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 Dec. 28, with 11,651 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.
WATCH: Arizona health officials mark opening of new COVID-19 vaccine site
Arizona health officials marked the opening of the state's vaccination site at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
COVID-19 vaccination site in East Valley opens Wednesday
The Chandler-Gilbert Community College in the East Valley will be home to a state-run COVID-19 vaccination site. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
AIA votes to remove mask mandate for spring season, winter playoffs
The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board voted to remove the mask mandate for the spring season and winter playoffs.
This was done because of "improving COVID-19 metrics," including decreasing COVID-19 cases and increased hospital bed capacity.
Students, coaches, officials and other personnel must wear a mask when not actively playing or in the arena of competition.
All spectators also must wear an approved mask or face covering. All other COVID-19 modifications remain in place.
Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
Arizona to distribute $8.2 million in funding for people facing homelessness
Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Economic Security will distribute an additional $8.2 million to give critical services to Arizonans facing homelessness.
All 31 organizations across the state that applied have been awarded the funding. Those organizations weren't immediately identified.
The money will be used to help prevent, prepare for, and respond to the impacts of COVID-19 in communities in need, the governor's office said in a statement.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Emergency Solutions Grant program.
Air Force personnel helping Kingman hospital during pandemic
A team of 30 U.S. Air Force medical personnel has arrived at Kingman Regional Medical Center in northwestern Arizona to provide staffing support during the pandemic.
The Miner reports that the Air Force sent the personnel Sunday at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the hospital in January asked for additional nurses and respiratory therapists.
The hospital says the staffing help will enable some hospital workers to return to their regular duties.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 16 new COVID-19 cases, 14 more deaths
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 16 new COVID-19 cases with 14 additional deaths.
The latest figures from tribal health officials bring the total number of COVID-19 cases to 29,774 cases since the pandemic began.
The death toll now is 1,184.
Health facilities on the reservation and in border towns are conducting drive-thru vaccine events or administering doses by appointment.
The Navajo-area Indian Health Service has vaccinated more than 135,000 people so far.
A daily curfew from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. and a mask mandate remain in effect for residents of the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah to prevent the spread of the virus.
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 1.9 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 819,954 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,089 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 818,670 confirmed cases and 16,060 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 1,284 new cases reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 849 new cases reported on Tuesday.
There were 29 new deaths reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 81 new deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 12,220 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 Dec. 28, with 11,651 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, 16,479 new tests were reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 6,463 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 4,227,450 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
14.1% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, the same as Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 512,286
- Pima: 109,941
- Pinal: 46,528
- Coconino: 16,635
- Navajo: 15,678
- Apache: 10,503
- Mohave: 21,266
- La Paz: 2,406
- Yuma: 36,469
- Graham: 5,296
- Cochise: 11,252
- Santa Cruz: 7,637
- Yavapai: 17,084
- Gila: 6,409
- Greenlee: 560
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
Watch more videos featuring the latest news about COVID-19 in Arizona, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus, in our 12 News YouTube Playlist here.