PHOENIX — 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 Friday, Oct. 23.
Major updates:
- There have been 235,882 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,865 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
- 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 Friday
There have been 235,882 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,865 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
That is an increase from the 234,906 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,859 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
A week ago, there were 229,486 cases and 5,806 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 23 de octubre: 975 casos nuevos y 6 decesos se reportan el viernes
975 new cases, 6 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 975 new cases and six new deaths on Friday.
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 1.15 on Thursday, down from 1.16 on Wednesday.
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 5,460 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.
Madison School District school under quarantine
A school in the Madison School District will be under quarantine after several students tested positive at the campus.
The district says students and staff at Madison No. 1 Middle School will be quarantined for at least 14 days after four positive cases were reported on campus.
Cholla Elementary closed after outbreak
A Casa Grade Elementary District has been closed after an outbreak was declared.
Pinal County Public Health Department reported a confirmed "COVID-19 Outbreak" at Cholla Elementary School on Friday.
District officials say Cholla Elementary will stay closed at least through November 8.
No other schools in the district have been affected.
Phoenix to hold free flu shot event Saturday
There will be a free flu shot event at El Reposo Park in Phoenix from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
No insurance is needed.
The shots are possible through a city-county partnership with Passport health.
Paradise Valley schools warn of rising COVID-19 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.
Those tests came during the week of Oct. 12 to Oct. 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 100,000 people was at 50.17 for PVSchools, up from 36.59 the week prior.
Valley Metro to give out free face masks
Valley Metro will give out free face masks today.
They will be given out at 19th Avenue and Camelback Road from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and at Priest and Washington from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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.
Peoria to provide free flu shots for residents
The city of Peoria and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health have partnered to provide free flu shots to Peoria residents.
“Public health experts say that the best way to prevent the flu virus is by getting a vaccination each year,” Mayor Cathy Carlat said in a statement.
“We want to ensure all Peoria residents have access to the resources they need, as they continue to protect themselves and their families, and this partnership is one more way to do that. We’re proud to work alongside MCDPH and look forward to offering these important vaccinations to our community.”
It is the first time the Peoria Fire-Medical Department and MCDPH have partnered to provide such a service to residents.
Experts are urging everyone to get a flu shot as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
"With COVID-19 still circulating in the community, it is critical that individuals do what they can to prevent hospitalization and additional strain on the healthcare system, which the flu vaccine has shown to do very effectively," the city said in a press release.
"By making flu shots available to the public for free, communities can decrease illness and hospitalization rates and prevent further spread of the virus."
The Peoria Fire-Medical Department will identify locations throughout Peoria to provide the shots in the next several weeks.
Information will be shared with residents through the city's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the Peoria website.
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 Friday
There have been 235,882 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,865 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
That is an increase from the 234,906 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,859 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
There were 975 new cases reported on Friday, down slightly from the 994 reported on Thursday.
There were six new deaths reported on Friday, up slightly from the five reported on Thursday.
There were 5,460 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, 13,808 new tests were reported on Friday, up from the 12,069 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 1,993,389 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
9.8% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, the same since Wednesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 152,695
- Pima: 27,297
- Pinal: 11,638
- Coconino: 4,925
- Navajo: 6,238
- Apache: 3,826
- Mohave: 4,244
- La Paz: 611
- Yuma: 13,442
- Graham: 1,105
- Cochise: 2,098
- Santa Cruz: 2,968
- Yavapai: 2,864
- Gila: 1,830
- Greenlee: 100
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.
