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. 19.
Major updates:
- There have been 287,225 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,384 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.
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 Thursday
There have been 287,225 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,384 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 283,102 confirmed cases and 6,365 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 266,562 cases and 6,240 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 19 de noviembre: 4,123 casos nuevos y 19 decesos se reportan el jueves
4,123 new cases, 19 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 4,123 new cases and 19 new deaths on Thursday.
Thursday also marked the first time that more than 4,000 new cases were reported since July 14.
That summer surge came after Gov. Doug Ducey relaxed business closings and stay-home restrictions.
Arizona’s outbreak lessened in August and September but the outbreak surged again in October and into November.
Officials cite school and business reopenings and public weariness with anti-virus precautions.
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 1.11 on Tuesday, up from 1.09 on Monday.
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.
Glendale Union High School District to return to remote learning as COVID-19 cases surge across the state
Officials from the Glendale Union High School District have announced Thursday that they will return to remote learning, according to an emailed release from the district.
In the email, numbers show the district has "hit red for the second consecutive week and are now in red in two different categories." Cases per 100,000 people are at 169.14 and percent positivity is at 11.9%, both categories are in the red.
RELATED: Glendale Union HSD to return to remote learning as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Arizona
Tempe Elementary School District returning to 100% remote learning due to COVID-19
The Tempe Elementary School District told families on Thursday that its schools will be returning to 100% remote learning on Monday Nov. 23.
"Unfortunately, COVID metrics today are much worse than last week, and we are now in the SUBSTANTIAL RISK category, requiring us to return to 100% virtual learning for all students," Superintendent Christine Busch wrote in a letter to families.
Cases per 100,000 people were at 123.27 last week and are now at 255.79, according to the district.
The district plans to return to on-site learning for all students on Jan. 4, 2021.
Arizonans can get free COVID-19 tests as virus continues to spread
Team 12's Trisha Hendricks is at the no-cost, drive-thru coronavirus testing center at the Peoria Sports Complex.
Watch: Maricopa County health officials discuss risky behaviors
Maricopa County health officials are discussing risky behaviors ahead of the holidays after 4,123 new cases and 19 new deaths were reported.
Ducey warns of rising infections, but no state mask mandate
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has urged Arizonans to stay safe over the Thanksgiving holiday and to continue wearing masks as the state's COVID-19 cases continue rising.
But he did not implement a statewide mask policy or any other major virus-related restrictions despite pressure from local and state officials.
There were over 3,000 newly confirmed cases and more than 50 additional deaths in the state on Wednesday.
Ducey says the state will roll out COVID-19 testing at three major Arizona airports, more public messages to remind people to wear masks and an order for schools to implement mask requirements on campuses and buses.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Mask mandate issued for Arizona schools
The Arizona Department of Health Services issued an emergency measure requiring schools to require that everyone -- all students, faculty, staff, contractors and visitors -- wear masks on campuses, buses and during school-associated activities.
The announcement was made on Thursday.
Schools were told to implement COVID-19 mitigation strategies, based on the school benchmarks, to keep everyone safe.
Those strategies include mask-wearing, physical distancing, increased cleaning and disinfecting protocols, limiting the size of groups, and increased hand hygiene.
Navajo Nation reports 135 new COVID-19 cases, 8 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Wednesday reported 135 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and eight additional deaths.
The latest figures bring the total number of known cases to 13,880 with 613 known deaths.
Tribal health officials say 141,751 people have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and 8,011 have recovered.
On Monday, the Navajo Nation reinstated a stay-at-home lockdown for the entire reservation.
Under the order, tribal offices will be closed and new closures and safety measures will be required for businesses on the vast reservation that spans more than 27,000 square miles in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
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.
Chicanos Por La Causa to hold free flu shot, COVID-19 test on Friday
Chicanos Por La Causa will hold an event to give people a free flu shot and a COVID-19 test on Friday.
The no-contact testing will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6850 W. Indian School Road.
It'll be provided by Arizona State University. The flu shots will be administered by Dignity Health.
You're asked to not eat, drink or smoke 30 minutes before testing.
Terros Health to offer COVID-19 testing at 4 Valley sites
Terros Health is offering COVID-19 testing at multiple locations across Maricopa County.
The oral tests will be given to both symptomatic and asymptomatic people.
Insurance will be accepted, and those without insurance will not be turned away.
Registration is required. To register, visit www.terroshealth.org and click on the link at the top of the home page, or call 602-685-6000.
The testing is being conducted at the following times and dates at four Terros Health locations:
Terros Health Olive Health Center
1-3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays
6153 W. Olive Ave., (West Olive and 61st avenues), Glendale
Terros Health 27th Avenue Health Center
1-3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays
3864 N. 27th Ave. (27th Avenue and Indian School Road), Phoenix
McDowell Health Center
1-3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays
4919 E. McDowell Road (McDowell Road at 202 Loop), Phoenix
Terros Health Stapley Health Center
1-3 p.m. Mondays and Saturdays
1111 S. Stapley Dr. (Stapley Drive and Southern Avenue), Mesa
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 287,225 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,384 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 283,102 confirmed cases and 6,365 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 4,123 new cases reported on Thursday, an increase from the 3,206 reported on Wednesday.
There were 19 new deaths reported on Thursday, a decrease from 53 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, 19,193 new tests were reported on Thursday, an increase from the 17,080 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 2,391,380 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: 183,177
- Pima: 34,423
- Pinal: 14,571
- Coconino: 6,618
- Navajo: 7,345
- Apache: 4,622
- Mohave: 5,329
- La Paz: 722
- Yuma: 15,813
- Graham: 1,767
- Cochise: 2,828
- Santa Cruz: 3,409
- Yavapai: 3,989
- Gila: 2,466
- Greenlee: 146
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.
