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 Monday, Nov. 16.
Major updates:
- There have been 276,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.
- 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.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Monday
There have been 276,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 275,436 confirmed cases and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
A week ago, there were 259,699 cases and 6,164 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 16 de noviembre: 1,476 casos nuevos y ningún deceso se reportan el lunes
1,476 new cases, zero new deaths reported Monday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,476 new cases and zero new deaths on Monday.
The numbers reported on Monday are typically low due to reporting lags over the weekend.
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 1.14 on Saturday.
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.
Arizona teachers group starts petition for additional COVID-19 protections
The Arizona Education Association released a petition Monday asking Gov. Ducey to create a plan with a framework for schools.
The petition asks that everyone wear masks in schools and on buses until the end of the school year, sets milestones for keeping schools open and asks for additional funding to help online learning and in-person learning.
The AEA says they represent 20,000 teachers and other education professionals. It was not clear Monday evening how many people had signed on to the petition.
Arizona superintendent supports statewide mask mandate
Arizona's top educator Kathy Hoffman said Monday afternoon she supports extra protective measures as COVID-19 cases rise across the state.
Hoffman issued a statement saying that she would welcome a statewide mask mandate, quarantine and testing requirements for "snowbirds," a limit on social gatherings, a hiatus on winter and club sports, and expanded outdoor dining.
Arizona's Education Association also wrote a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey to enact more social distancing and safety measures.
3 West Coast states announce travel advisories due to COVID-19 cases
Three West Coast states have announced travel advisories as coronavirus cases climb. Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
How Arizona schools, businesses are responding to increase in COVID-19 cases
Arizona continues to grapple with an increase in COVID-19 cases, forcing schools and businesses to think about what to do next. Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
RELATED: Paradise Valley Unified School District going back to virtual learning due to COVID-19 rise
Maricopa County survey finds 10% of residents have COVID-19 antibodies
Maricopa County officials announced Monday that a serosurvey found that an estimated 10.7% of residents have detectable antibodies for COVID-19.
According to the county, this means approximately 470,000 people in Maricopa County likely have been infected with the virus since the pandemic began.
The 11-day study, which was conducted in mid-September, collected specimens from 260 people in 169 homes randomly selected to test for antibodies
The key findings of the survey included:
- For every case reported to Maricopa County Public Health, there were three to four cases that were not reported up to mid-September.
- The number of true infections is likely far higher than the number of people who are being tested for COVID-19.
- There was a higher seroprevalence within households than across individuals, which supports evidence that infections cluster within households.
“It’s critical that we all wear face masks correctly and consistently, physically distance from others, wash our hands and avoid large groups of people to help slow the spread of COVID-19," Marcy Flanagan, executive director of MCDPH, said in a statement.
AIA recommends postponing start of winter sports season
The Arizona Interscholastic Association is recommending that the Executive Board consider postponing the start of the winter sports season.
In a statement, the group said Executive Director David Hines will meet with state health and education officials this week "regarding the rising infection and positivity rates around Arizona."
That information will be shared with the Executive Board at a future meeting for a vote.
The recommendation is to have the competition season begin in January, with the two weeks of mandatory practice to take place before competition can begin.
Practice for winter season sports had begun on Nov. 9 for the counties, districts and schools that meet metrics to allow for a permissible start. As of now those schools may continue to practice until further notice.
UArizona increases testing by 34% ahead of holidays
The University of Arizona said in a statement that the school's pre-holiday COVID-19 testing blitz is testing a large number of students before they head home for the holidays.
University President Robert C. Robbins said the university administered 7,541 tests from Nov. 9 to 13, 1,927 more tests and 34% more than the previous week.
The testing blitz began on Nov. 9 and will continue through Nov. 25.
Of those 7,541 tests, 4,335 were given to students living off campus, 2,302 were given to on-campus students and 904 were given to employees.
There were 65 positive results. Testing numbers are updated regularly on the university's COVID-19 dashboard.
Students will take classes fully online after the Thanksgiving break at the end of the month.
COVID-19 testing will be mandatory for all students who plan to live on campus and for those who plan to attend in-person classes in the spring.
Game between Arizona State, Colorado shelved due to virus
Arizona State’s game against Colorado next Saturday has been canceled, the second straight game the Sun Devils will miss due to positive COVID-19 tests.
The Pac-12 announced cancellation of the game due to Arizona State not having enough scholarship players available to meet the conference’s 53-player minimum.
Arizona State’s game against California on Saturday was canceled after numerous Sun Devils players and coaches, including head coach Herm Edwards, tested positive for COVID-19.
The Mid-American Conference also had its first cancellation Sunday.
Ohio’s game at Miami on Tuesday night was called off because of roster issues related to COVID-19 with the Bobcats.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation orders new 3-week stay-at-home lockdown
The Navajo Nation on Monday will reinstate a stay-home lockdown order for the entire reservation while closing tribal offices and requiring new closures and safety measures for businesses due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Tribal officials announced Friday night that the lockdown order goes into effect Monday for a three-week period.
A previously ordered 56-hour weekend curfew began Friday night.
Much of the Navajo Nation was closed between March and August as the coronavirus swept through the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Tribal health officials on Wednesday warned residents of new “uncontrolled spread” of COVID-19 in 34 reservation communities.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 117 new cases, 4 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials are reporting 117 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths.
The latest figures released Sunday bring the total number of known cases to more than 13,300 with 602 known deaths.
Tribal health officials said more than 138,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and around 7,900 have recovered.
The news comes as the Navajo Nation on Monday reinstated a stay-at-home lockdown for the entire reservation.
The coronavirus has affected 29 communities throughout the reservation, which spans more than 27,000 square miles in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
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 Monday
There have been 276,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 275,436 confirmed cases and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 1,476 new cases reported on Monday, a decrease from the 2,383 reported on Sunday.
There were zero new deaths reported on Monday, a decrease from two reported on Sunday.
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, 27,185 new tests were reported on Monday, an increase from the 19,438 new tests reported on Sunday.
There have been a total of 2,338,177 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Monday.
9.6% of those tests have been positive as of Monday, the same since Sunday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 176,993
- Pima: 33,087
- Pinal: 13,730
- Coconino: 6,383
- Navajo: 7,159
- Apache: 4,393
- Mohave: 5,105
- La Paz: 684
- Yuma: 15,522
- Graham: 1,704
- Cochise: 2,704
- Santa Cruz: 3,316
- Yavapai: 3,637
- Gila: 2,366
- Greenlee: 129
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.
