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. 30.
Major updates:
- There have been 244,045 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,934 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 244,045 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,934 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 242,480 confirmed cases and 5,918 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 235,882 cases and 5,865 deaths reported in Arizona.
1,565 new cases, 16 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,565 new cases and 16 new deaths on Friday.
Monday has been the only day this week that health officials have not reported more than 1,000 new cases.
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 1.12 on Tuesday, which was up from 1.10 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 5,454 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.
Health and education leaders address guideline confusion
Arizona's top educator and health director issued a joint statement Friday addressing the confusion that happened when ADHS quietly changed school guidelines to keep classrooms open during the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, there was a communications breakdown between the agencies that left the public confused and uninformed,” the statement read.
On Monday, ADHS changed its benchmark for school districts to close classrooms and switch to remote learning. The move was made with little warning which led to educators scrambling to adjust district-wide plans as Arizona grapples with an uptick in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Gov. Doug Ducey claimed that the changes were made at the request of educators, but Hoffman rebuked that message and said her office was not consulted and that she didn’t recommend any changes to the original metrics.
Hoffman and Christ say their offices have been in communication to clarify the situation.
“The important part is that these benchmarks provide schools with data-driven metrics, while schools maintain the ultimate authority to make decisions that are best for their communities,” the statement continued.
“Our goal is to move forward, together. It’s important for Arizona kids and families, and we look forward to continued collaboration during this pandemic and beyond.”
Vice president appeals to voters in liberal Arizona cities
Vice President Mike Pence is planning two rallies in Arizona on Friday, hoping to appeal to voters ahead of the election.
The visits to the Flagstaff and Tucson airports come as both presidential candidates key in on battleground states ahead of next week's election.
The cities are in counties that Donald Trump lost in 2016, but the state as a whole helped send him to the White House.
Pence is campaigning despite criticism from health experts who said he should be under quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak in his office.
The White House says he's exempt from quarantine under guidelines for essential workers.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Arizona governor defends school rule as virus 'storm' looms
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is warning of a looming “storm" of coronavirus cases in the state.
But he is defending his administration changes to guidelines for in-person instruction that will let students remain in class far beyond earlier recommendations.
The Republican governor insisted Thursday that his administration consulted with public education and health officials before making the changes.
But the state's top school official and administrators say they weren't asked. state health officials are reporting a large rise in cases and warning about new spikes as the holidays approach.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Tourism spending in Arizona down by more than 50%
Arizona tourism officials say the pandemic has led to spending from visitors to plunge by $10 billion when compared to the same time last year.
The Arizona Office of Tourism said in a news release Thursday that revenue generated by visitors between January and September is 52% less.
Spending nose-dived in March and April when coronavirus-induced shutdowns began and climbed somewhat in May and June.
However, spending has since plateaued.
Tourism officials worry that spending will not rise in the fall season leading to more losses.
They say it's crucial the tourism industry build consumer confidence with visible face masks and other sanitization procedures.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
No COVID-19 deaths for 9th time in 10 days on Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation health officials on Thursday reported 130 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 but no deaths for the ninth time in the last 10 days.
The latest figures bring the total number of cases to 11,602 including 10 delayed reported cases.
The known death toll remains at 575.
Tribal health officials say 124,109 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 7,528 have recovered.
A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.
Tribal President Jonathan Nez says the Navajo Department of Health is now warning the public about the possibility of community spread of COVID-19.
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 Friday
There have been 244,045 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,934 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 242,480 confirmed cases and 5,918 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 1,565 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 1,315 reported on Thursday.
There were 16 new deaths reported on Friday, an increase from the 13 reported on Thursday.
There were 5,454 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, 14,130 new tests were reported on Friday, a decrease from the 15,514 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 2,063,763 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
9.7% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, the same since Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 157,728
- Pima: 28,296
- Pinal: 11,958
- Coconino: 5,301
- Navajo: 6,452
- Apache: 3,992
- Mohave: 4,395
- La Paz: 624
- Yuma: 13,797
- Graham: 1,224
- Cochise: 2,193
- Santa Cruz: 3,037
- Yavapai: 2,982
- Gila: 1,965
- Greenlee: 101
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.
