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. 9.
Major updates:
- There have been 224,084 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,746 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 224,084 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,746 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 223,401 cases and 5,743 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
A week ago, there were 219,763 cases and 5,693 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 9 de octubre: 683 casos nuevos y 3 decesos se reportan el viernes
683 new cases, 3 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 683 new cases and three 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 1.06 on Wednesday, up from 1.05 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.
How many COVID-19 cases are currently active at Arizona colleges?
Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest on the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Arizona's universities.
Voter registration extension in Arizona remains in place
The court-ordered extension of Arizona’s voter registration deadline remains in place, at least for now.
An appeals court rejected a bid by Republican organizations to put on hold a ruling that pushed back the deadline from Monday to Oct. 23 because of the pandemic.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said it had doubts about the GOP groups' ability as private parties to try to get the lower-court ruling put on hold while they appeal it.
The court will reconsider the request after it rules on the state of Arizona’s request to join the Republican groups in the appeal.
Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
Arizona lawmaker off ventilator amid coronavirus fight
An Arizona lawmaker who was on a ventilator at a Maryland hospital’s intensive care unit ill with COVID-19 is now breathing on his own.
The developments came after Democratic Rep. Lorenzo Sierra of Avondale spent several days unable to breathe without the mechanical device.
Sierra's wife, Rhonda Cagle, tweeted Thursday that “Miracles do happen" but said her husband is still in critical condition.
She thanked God and asked for continued prayers.
Sierra and Cagle were visiting family in Washington when they both fell ill. He was hospitalized Sunday.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Mohave County votes to remain in state of emergency
Mohave County officials say the county in northwest Arizona remains in a state of emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A motion to rescind the declaration failed.
Supervisor Hildy Angius’ motion to end the declaration, which has been in place since March, was defeated in a 3-2 vote Thursday.
The board of supervisors asked county officials earlier this week to investigate the repercussions, since the county has received more than $9 million in federal coronavirus aid.
All but $1.5 million has been spent or allocated for future use.
The concern was that they would have to return the aid if the declaration was rescinded.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 32 new COVID-19 cases, one more death
Navajo Nation health officials report 32 new cases of COVID-19 with one additional death.
The latest numbers released Thursday bring the total number of cases to 10,582 including four additional cases that were previously unreported due to delayed reporting or reconciliation.
The death toll now stands at 563 since the pandemic began.
Tribal health officials say 111,430 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for the coronavirus and 7,312 have recovered.
A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Phoenix votes to reopen city parks
The Phoenix City Council voted on Wednesday to reopen park amenities that were closed at the beginning of the pandemic.
The reopening will be effective on Friday with the exception of some parts managed by the Parks and Recreation Department which require could require more time.
Phoenix public parks, trails and golf courses have remained open with high-touch surfaces and areas that made physical distancing difficult, closed to the public.
RELATED: Phoenix city parks set to reopen
Downtown Phoenix marketplace to reopen Friday
The Churchill, an open-air marketplace in downtown Phoenix, will reopen at 4 p.m. Friday.
The marketplace will reopen with 10 locally-owned retail shops, restaurants and lounges, including the all-new Stoop Kid, an New York-style bagel and coffee shop.
The Churchill will have limited seating, including the upstairs dining deck. All seating will be assigned and limited to 50% capacity. Guests will be required to wear masks while entering or moving around the space.
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 224,084 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,746 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 223,401 cases and 5,743 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
There were 683 new cases reported on Friday, a decrease from the 863 reported on Thursday.
There was three new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 10 new deaths reported Thursday.
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, 13,415 new tests were reported on Friday, a slight increase from 13,254 on Thursday.
There have been a total of 1,843,778 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
10.1% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, down from 10.2% on Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 145,298
- Pima: 26,287
- Pinal: 10,973
- Coconino: 4,401
- Navajo: 5,874
- Apache: 3,654
- Mohave: 4,078
- La Paz: 563
- Yuma: 12,941
- Graham: 927
- Cochise: 1,944
- Santa Cruz: 2,900
- Yavapai: 2,682
- Gila: 1,500
- Greenlee: 60
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.
