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, Oct. 22.
Major updates:
- There have been 234,906 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,859 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.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Thursday
There have been 234,906 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,859 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.
That is an increase from the 233,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,854 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 228,748 cases and 5,789 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 22 de octubre: 994 casos nuevos y 5 decesos se reportan el jueves
994 new cases, 5 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 994 new cases and five 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 5,000 coronavirus deaths 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 1.16 on Wednesday, up from 1.10 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.
There were 5,461 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 100 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 Unified warns of rising cases
The Paradise Valley Unified School District is reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases across its schools.
A total of 16 students – seven in high school, three in middle school, five in elementary and one in an alternative school - have tested positive for coronavirus during the week of October 12 to October 18 across the district’s 32,000-person student body.
The largest increases were at Desert Shadows Middle School, and Pinnacle and North Canyon high schools.
District officials sent an email to parents warning of an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases across schools.
PVSchools warned that if cases on campus exceeded 100 per 100,000 persons or 10% positivity, they would need to return to online learning in an email from Jesse Welsh, Superintendent of PVSchools.
Cases per 100,00 people was at 50.17 for PVSchools, up from 36.59 the week prior.
Dr. Christ: Each school outbreak is different
Could the surge in cases in Arizona bring a halt to in-person learning in schools? Arizona Department of Health Director Dr. Cara Christ says each outbreak is different and local health departments will have to decide.
ASU expert: Arizona seeing surge in coronavirus cases
An Arizona State University researcher says Arizona is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases that resembles the early stages of the summer spike that made the state one of the world's worst hotspots.
Dr. Joshua LaBaer of the ASU Biodesign Institute said Wednesday the latest spike can be attributed to fatigue with masks and social distancing.
He says holding strong on mitigation efforts can limit the spread of the disease.
Arizona on Wednesday reported 975 new confirmed coronavirus cases and another 17 deaths.
Hospitals reported 832 beds used by COVID-19 patients, the highest number since late August but well below the peak of about 3,500 in July.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 29 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths
Navajo Nation health officials report 29 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 but no additional deaths for the second consecutive day.
The latest figures released Wednesday night bring the total number of cases to 11,030 with the known death toll remaining at 574.
Tribal health officials said 118,092 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and 7,403 have recovered.
A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.
Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms with the coronavirus, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Glendale cancels 2020 Christmas parade
Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers announced Wednesday that the 2020 Hometown Christmas Parade will be canceled.
A news release from the city said the decision came after "evaluating several factors including the overwhelming need to ensure the health and well-being of everyone involved."
Weiers, in a statement, said the decision was "incredibly difficult decision, but a necessary one."
"I want to thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to keep our community healthy," he continued.
"I know COVID-19 has made many changes in our lives and I want to thank you for your continued patience."
Residents can still participate in the annual food drive. Volunteers will be collecting non-perishable food and money donations to benefit Glendale’s own Hoper for Hunger Food Bank.
Non-perishable food donations can be dropped off in food drive boxes located in Glendale City Hall in November and December. Donations will also be accepted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 at both the Sam’s Club and Walmart stores at 83rd and Union Hills avenues.
Fry's to hold drive-thru flu shot clinic on Saturday
Fry’s Food Stores is hosting a drive-thru flu shot clinic on Saturday.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Renaissance Hotel parking garage.
“As the flu season approaches and COVID-19 continues to spread, health experts are urging people now more than ever to the get the flu shot,” Stephanie Spark with Fry’s Food Stores Health said in a statement.
“We want people to understand it is possible to get the coronavirus and the flu, and since we do not yet have a vaccine for coronavirus, it is really important for Arizonans to get the flu vaccine in an effort to protect their own health and the health of their families.”
The flu shot clinic is open to the public and will offer free flu shots through most insurance plans.
Anyone who is interested must register online at frysfood.com/flu, enter zip code 85305 or the city Glendale and select the Glendale-Coyotes Arena Event location.
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 234,906 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,859 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.
That is an increase from the 233,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,854 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Wednesday.
There were 994 new cases reported on Thursday, up slightly from the 975 reported on Wednesday.
There were five new deaths reported on Thursday, down from the 17 reported on Wednesday.
There were 5,461 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 100 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 12,069 new tests were reported on Thursday, up from the 10,720 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 1,979,581 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
9.8% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, the same as Wednesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 152,101
- Pima: 27,208
- Pinal: 11,583
- Coconino: 4,888
- Navajo: 6,218
- Apache: 3,825
- Mohave: 4,234
- La Paz: 610
- Yuma: 13,359
- Graham: 1,083
- Cochise: 2,093
- Santa Cruz: 2,967
- Yavapai: 2,841
- Gila: 1,812
- Greenlee: 84
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.
