The path towards reopening Arizona has started, but it will be gradual.
In an effort to track the changes, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Wednesday, May 27.
Major updates:
- There are 17, 262 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 831 coronavirus-related deaths, as of Wednesday morning.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There are 17, 262 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 831 coronavirus-related deaths as of Wednesday morning, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's up from 16,783 confirmed cases and 807 deaths on Tuesday.
One week ago, there were 14,897 cases across the state with 747 deaths.
Scroll down for more information.
Testing blitz to continue this weekend
Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services announced the so-called COVID-19 testing blitz will continue this upcoming weekend.
Policies and procedures for patient criteria, billing, and pre-registration requirements vary by site.
Sites participating in the Arizona Testing Blitz will offer diagnostic testing for COVID-19, which is designed to determine whether a patient is currently infected with the virus.
Antibody testing is not a part of the Arizona Testing Blitz.
Mohave County inmate tests positive
An inmate of the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility tested positive on Tuesday for COVID-19.
The inmate, currently housed in medical isolation at the jail, has shown no signs or symptoms of the virus.
He is between 30 and 40 years old and came into jail custody earlier this month from outside Arizona.
The inmate will continue to be monitored and provided treatment as may be necessary.
This is the first lab-confirmed positive case involving any of Mohave County inmates or jail staff since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
Captain Don Bischoff said in a statement that all new prisoners must be quarantined and monitored for symptoms each day while housed in a restrictive housing unit.
“Since early March, inmates and staff have gone to great lengths to prevent the introduction of the virus to the jail. Those steps include a screening process following CDC guidelines for all jail staff and new arrests as well as any person entering the secure area of the facility”, said Bischoff.
Jail staff are working to identify any staff and other inmates who may have been in close contact with the infected inmate.
As many as ten people, including jail, medical and custody staff and some other inmates, are considered a “close contact” case.
Navajo Nation has 48 new cases of coronavirus, 1 more death
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says recent data indicates the coronavirus peak for hospitalizations on the vast reservation occurred from April 21-26, a month earlier than initial projections.
During a live online town hall on Tuesday, Nez said initial projections showed the Navajo Nation’s COVID-19 surge peak would begin the week of May 24.
Nez says implementing stay-at-home orders and weekend curfews have helped flatten the curve in certain areas of the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Navajo Department of Health on Tuesday reported 48 new cases of coronavirus and one additional death.
That pushed the tribal numbers to 4,842 cases and 158 known deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Petrified Forest National Park increases access to park road, trails and wilderness
The Petrified Forest National Park is increasing recreational access and other services.
The National Park Service is working servicewide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
The Petrified Forest National Park will reopen access to the park road, all trails and wilderness areas on Friday.
Entrance fees are valid for seven days and will be collected by credit card only.
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 below 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 are 17,262 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 831 coronavirus-related deaths as of Wednesday morning.
That's up from 16,783 confirmed cases and 807 deaths on Tuesday.
That's an increase of 479 new cases reported since Tuesday, a jump from the 222 new cases reported on Monday.
There were 24 new deaths reported on Wednesday, up from the one new death reported on Tuesday.
In total, 6,480 new tests were reported on Wednesday, down from 4,686 tests that were reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 279,500 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
5.5% of those tests have been positive.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 8,627
- Pima: 2,119
- Pinal: 777
- Coconino: 1,066
- Navajo: 1,652
- Apache: 1,250
- Mohave: 339
- La Paz: 54
- Yuma: 782
- Graham: 25
- Cochise: 63
- Santa Cruz: 188
- Yavapai: 292
- Gila: 25
- Greenlee: 3
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.
There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, so the best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:
- 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.
