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 Thursday, Nov. 12.
Major updates:
- There have been 266,562 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,240 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.
- 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.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
- Paradise Valley schools returning to online learning Nov. 23
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Thursday
There have been 266,562 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,240 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 265,163 confirmed cases and 6,228 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 252,768 cases and 6,087 deaths reported in Arizona.
1,399 new cases, 12 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,399 new cases and 12 new deaths on Thursday.
Arizona reached 200,000 coronavirus cases on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 6,000 coronavirus deaths 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.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 1.15 on Tuesday.
The Rt is essentially a mathematical number that shows whether more people are becoming infected or less.
The concern is that any Rt over 1, no matter how small, means the virus may grow exponentially.
RELATED: This is the number that health officials are watching closely in the fight against COVID-19 (And you should too)
There were 5,450 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 103 people died. That is subject to change.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.
Paradise Valley schools returning to online learning
The Paradise Valley Unified School District announced Thursday that its schools will move to online learning beginning Nov. 23 due to an increase in coronavirus cases.
According to a letter sent to families, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health says the district's cases per 100,000 persons increased from 78.84 to 106, and its percent positivity increased from 5.36% to 7.12%.
This puts the district in the “Red Light,” category which signals for a stop to in-person learning and a return to online learning.
The district says after consulting with health officials, schools will move back to online learning on Nov. 23.
Mohave County case updates
Today the Mohave County Health Department was notified of 77 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death.
The new positive cases bring the County total to 4,735 with 225 total deaths. The death came from an individual in the 70-79 age range from the Kingman service area.
As of today, there are 34 cases coming from the Kingman service area, 26 from the Bullhead City service area and 17 cases from the Lake Havasu City service area.
Phoenix kicks off wastewater testing program to find COVID-19 in the workplace
The city of Phoenix announced Thursday that it is starting a wastewater testing pilot program to allow officials to "identify early indications of the presence of COVID-19 in the workplace."
The purpose of the program, officials said, is to "identify potential high-spread areas of COVID-19 so we can provide timely information to our employees and encourage personal testing for the virus."
The program will involve the sampling wastewater at five city facilities:
- Phoenix City Hall
- Calvin C. Goode Building
- Phoenix Municipal Court Building
- Phoenix Police Administration Building
- Phoenix Crime Lab
The samples will be collected and tested three times a week for 12 weeks beginning next week.
If significant levels of COVID-19 are detected, employees will be notified and encouraged to be tested.
Studies have found that the COVID-19 virus can be present in wastewater for up to two weeks before symptoms begin.
Free COVID-19 saliva testing available in Arizona this weekend
The Arizona Department of Health Services has partnered with ASU Biodesign to make free COVID-19 saliva testing available for Arizonans.
Testing opportunities on Friday and this weekend will occur in Mesa, Page, Globe, Flagstaff, Glendale and Tucson.
The testing on Friday includes:
Globe Testing
Where: Globe High Desert Middle School - 4000 High Desert Dr., Globe, AZ 85501
When: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
How: Pre-registration is required
Flagstaff Testing
Where: Fort Tuthill - 2446 Fort Tuthill Loop, Flagstaff, AZ 86005
When: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
How: Pre-registration is required
Ducey urges caution in Arizona amid virus case surge
With Arizona reporting a daily average of 1,900 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, Gov. Doug Ducey has urged residents to be careful amid the surging coronavirus outbreak.
Ducey in a video posted Tuesday urged people to wear face coverings, wash hands, practice social distancing and stay home when sick.
He says gatherings of families and friends from outside immediate households “are no safer than going to the grocery store."
Ducey has not implemented a statewide masking requirement, and he announced no new prevention initiatives.
He cited past efforts, including increasing testing and additional funding for hospitals.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Ducey extends Arizona order for reporting data on COVID-19
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered the state's hospitals, testing labs and other health care facilities to keep reporting detailed COVID-19 information.
The move was made so state officials can gauge the spread of the outbreak and availability of hospital beds and resources.
Ducey on Wednesday extended the reporting requirement for 60 days.
The extension comes as the state experiences a renewed surge in COVID-19 cases amid increased testing positivity and a rising death toll.
The state on Thursday reported 1,399 more confirmed COVID-19 cases and 12 more deaths.
That boosted the state’s totals to 266,562 cases and 6,240 deaths.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Peoria expands outdoor seating patios at restaurants, bars
The Peoria City Council recently approved a temporary provision allowing restaurants and bars to expand outdoor seating patios.
The process is designed to allow those businesses to safely relocate some of their indoor dining capacity to the outdoors.
Outdoor seating will still be limited to 50% of the current occupant load of the establishment.
“Small businesses have encountered many disruptions over the past year and it’s critical that we continue to do all that we can to support them,” Mayor Cathy Carlat said in a statement.
“This provision is about easing restrictions to help our local restaurants and bars maximize their offerings to our community. It’s just in time for cooler weather and I hope our businesses take advantage of this opportunity to expand their footprint.”
Navajo Nation cases increase by 98, one new death
The Navajo Department of Health reported 98 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and one more death.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 12,818.
The total number of deaths is now 596 as of Wednesday.
Reports indicate that 7,828 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 134,358 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
Uncontrolled COVID-19 spread in 34 Navajo Nation communities
Navajo Nation health officials on Wednesday warned residents of the “uncontrolled spread” of COVID-19 in 34 communities on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
In a statement, tribal President Jonathan Nez says the tribe is dealing with “an invisible monster” and the only way to beat the coronavirus is by doing it together and listening to public health experts.
The Navajo Nation will have a 56-hour weekend curfew beginning Friday night.
Tribal officials already have urged residents to wear face masks, practice social distancing and limit gatherings to less than five people.
The reservation spans more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers).
The above article is from The Associated Press.
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.
RELATED: Arizona’s health department wants you to report businesses that don’t enforce safety requirements
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 Thursday
There have been 266,562 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,240 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 265,163 confirmed cases and 6,228 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 1,399 new cases reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 2,030 reported on Wednesday.
There were 12 new deaths reported on Thursday, a decrease from 36 reported on Wednesday.
There were 5,450 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 103 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 16,219 new tests were reported on Thursday, an increase from the 10,215 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 2,251,340 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
9.7% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, the same since Tuesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 170,842
- Pima: 31,538
- Pinal: 13,174
- Coconino: 6,124
- Navajo: 6,988
- Apache: 4,270
- Mohave: 4,893
- La Paz: 666
- Yuma: 14,935
- Graham: 1,562
- Cochise: 2,572
- Santa Cruz: 3,208
- Yavapai: 3,409
- Gila: 2,259
- Greenlee: 122
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:
- 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.
