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 Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Major updates:
- There have been 279,896 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,312 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
- 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.
RELATED: 412% increase in cases and 4 more graphs showing how COVID-19 metrics are rising in the last 6 weeks
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Tuesday
There have been 279,896 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,312 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 276,912 confirmed cases and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
A week ago, there were 263,133 cases and 6,192 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 17 de noviembre: 2,984 casos nuevos y 10 decesos se reportan el martes
2,984 new cases, 10 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 2,984 new cases and 10 new deaths on Tuesday.
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 Sunday, the same as 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.
Phoenix mayor: I've asked Ducey to issue a statewide mask requirement
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said during her State of the City address on Tuesday that she has asked Gov. Doug Ducey to issue a statewide mask mandate.
She said she asked him to keep the order in place until Arizona has wide distribution of a vaccine, more effective treatments or both.
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.
Scottsdale pizzeria ordered to close due to COVID-19 violations
A Scottsdale pizzeria was ordered to close immediately after it was found to have violated COVID-19 orders.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said IL Capo Pizzeria was operating in violation of the state's COVID-19 guidelines.
It was ordered to close immediately.
No other information about why the department believed the business was operating in violation of the guidelines was given.
The restaurant is located near Shea Boulevard and Scottsdale Road.
Long-term effects of COVID-19 may not be fully understood for years
The latest COVID-19 surge in our state has many asking: What does recovery look like for those who have beaten the coronavirus? Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
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.
Tempe to hold free flu shot, COVID-19 test clinic
The city of Tempe will hold a clinic where they give out a free flu shot and COVID-19 test this week.
The clinic will be held on Wednesday and Thursday.
It'll be held at Westside Multigenerational Center.
Reserve your spot online at tempe.gov/vaccines.
Navajo Nation reports 197 new COVID-19 cases and 1 new death
Navajo Nation health officials are reporting 197 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one additional death.
The latest figures released Monday night bring the total number of known cases to 13,596 with 603 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 Tuesday
There have been 279,896 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,312 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 276,912 confirmed cases and 6,302 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
There were 2,984 new cases reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 1,476 reported on Monday.
There were 10 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from zero reported on Monday.
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, 16,928 new tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 27,185 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 2,355,107 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
9.7% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, up from 9.6% on Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 178,639
- Pima: 33,444
- Pinal: 13,936
- Coconino: 6,476
- Navajo: 7,231
- Apache: 4,488
- Mohave: 5,208
- La Paz: 687
- Yuma: 15,642
- Graham: 1,720
- Cochise: 2,777
- Santa Cruz: 3,337
- Yavapai: 3,791
- Gila: 2,388
- Greenlee: 132
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.
