PHOENIX — 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 Friday, May 8.
Major updates:
- There are now 10,526 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona with 517 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
- The increase in deaths reported Friday is due to an update in data, state health officials said. Scroll down for more info.
- A child in Yuma County died of COVID-19-related illness on Thursday, marking the first pediatric coronavirus death in Arizona.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered.
- Barbers and salons can reopen today.
- Dine-in restaurants can open May 11.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
Need to know:
- Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 restrictions
- Here’s how to get tested for coronavirus in Arizona
- Concern grows for people quarantined with abusers
COVID-19 cases across Arizona
There are now 10,526 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona with 517 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's up from 9,945 cases and 450 deaths on Thursday.
There were 581 new cases and 67 new deaths reported on Friday alone.
The massive jump in death toll was due to "notable changes" in reporting deaths, state health officials said.
Due to these changes, more than half of the new deaths reported Friday are from death certificate surveillance dating back to the week of April 12.
One week ago, there were 7,962 cases across the state with 330 deaths.
Scroll down for more information.
Arizona health officials explain massive increase in reported deaths
The number of coronavirus-related deaths jumped to 517 on Friday, with 67 new deaths reported in one day.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said the dashboard included an important update to the COVID-19 data, including "notable changes" related to reporting deaths.
Due to these changes, more than half of the new deaths reported Friday are from death certificate surveillance dating back to the week of April 12.
"As a result of recent guidance by the National Center for Health Statistics on how states should certify deaths due to COVID-19 using death certificate surveillance, 35 of the 67 new deaths reported today are from death certificate surveillance dating as far back as the week of April 12," the department said in a blog post.
The guidance "provides direction to death certifiers on proper cause-of-death certification for cases where confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection resulted in death," the department added.
The department stressed that this would help physicians report COVID-19 related deaths in a "timely, consistent, and accurate manner" and allow public health officials to more accurately identify deaths related to this pandemic.
"In addition to identifying deaths through the public health investigation of known cases, reviewing death certificates can provide information about the number of people who died from a COVID-related cause," the department said.
The department started death certificate surveillance using this updated guidance on May 1.
"This makes our count of COVID-19 deaths more complete and accurate than relying on the public health case investigation alone," the blog post read.
"While this change will cause the number of new deaths reported on the dashboard to jump more than expected for a few days, the deaths are shown on the dashboard using the date of death."
This puts the deaths on the day of the event and causes the deaths to be distributed throughout the “epi curve," meaning there won’t be one spike of deaths on a single day.
This, the department argued, allows for a more accurate picture of when COVID-19 related deaths actually occurred in Arizona and "maintains consistency in the way the death data on the dashboard can be interpreted."
In a statement, department spokesman Chris Minnick called this a "natural evolution of a public health investigation.
"This is a novel disease and we’ve implemented a new surveillance system," he added.
Phoenix Indian Center collecting donations for Navajo Nation
The Phoenix Indian Center is collecting donations to deliver to the Navajo Nation.
Items in need include general items like baby essentials, toiletries, bottled water, and non-perishable food items, PPE items like masks or head and shoe covers, and other medical supplies like non-latex gloves and disinfectant sprays or wipes.
“The Navajo Nation is in crisis, and they need our help,” said Patricia Hibbeler, CEO of the Phoenix Indian Center.
“The suffering in Indian Country is just heartbreaking, and we urge anyone who can to please donate. Providing much-needed supplies will make a big difference in the lives of the Navajo people, some of whom are family members of our staff at the Center.”
Those wishing to contribute can drop off their donations at the Phoenix Indian Center, 4520 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012, on one of the following dates and times:
- Friday, May 8: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 2 to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, May 9: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Monday, May 11: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 2 to 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 12: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 2 to 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 13: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 2 to 4 p.m.
- Thursday, May 14: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Arizona still struggling to process unemployment claims
Arizona’s social services agency is struggling to process a wave of unemployment claims that began when the coronavirus hit the state in mid-March.
The Department of Economic Security has hired hundreds of workers to process the nearly 514,000 claims.
As of last week only 283,000 people were receiving benefits.
That leaves out more than 230,000 residents who are either stuck in a backlog, been denied benefits or who fall into a new category of people that Congress said in March could receive benefits.
The state won’t start processing those claims until next week.
Hair salons, barbershops in Arizona reopening Friday
Hair salons and barbershops in Arizona shut down a month ago to stop the spread of the coronavirus will look quite different when they reopen.
Operating for the first time Friday since Gov. Doug Ducey ordered them closed, many hair dressers and barbers will incorporate social distancing measures into their routine.
Some businesses trumpeting their return ahead of time on social media warned of several changes.
Among them are barbers and stylists wearing masks and clients having to wait in their cars.
Ducey cited a downward trajectory in the percentage of positive tests along with declines in hospital visits for coronavirus symptoms in his decision.
Arizona House balks at Senate plan to adjourn Friday
The Speaker of the Arizona House has pulled the plug on the Senate’s plan to meet Friday just to adjourn the session for the year.
But the Senate plans to move ahead anyway.
Republican Speaker Rusty Bowers announced late Thursday that the House would not convene as he had announced earlier in the day.
Many House Republicans and some in the Senate were opposed to the plan from GOP Senate President Karen Fann to adjourn.
They want to resume the session halted in March because of the coronavirus.
Virus sweeps through Northern Arizona homeless shelter
Nearly one-third of the people staying at the largest emergency homeless shelter in northern Arizona have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The executive director of Flagstaff Shelter Services said Thursday that 20 people, including two staff members, have COVID-19.
Most of them showed no symptoms.
The shelter has put up partitions, reduced the number of mattresses and checks temperatures daily.
Yuma County officials announced the death of a child under the age of 18, saying it's the first pediatric death from the coronavirus.
The name and age of the child was not released.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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 in Arizona as of Friday
There are 10,526 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona with 517 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
There were 581 new cases and 67 new deaths reported on Friday alone.
The massive jump in death toll was due to "notable changes" in reporting deaths, state health officials said.
Due to these changes, more than half of the new deaths reported Friday are from death certificate surveillance dating back to the week of April 12.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 5,525
- Pima: 1,520
- Pinal: 566
- Coconino: 659
- Navajo: 945
- Apache: 671
- Mohave: 171
- La Paz: 22
- Yuma: 159
- Graham: 18
- Cochise: 41
- Santa Cruz: 38
- Yavapai: 170
- Gila: 19
- Greenlee: 2
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.
