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 Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Major updates:
- There have been 202,342 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,044 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered, but Johns Hopkins University estimates the number of people who have recovered.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Tuesday
There have been 202,342 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,044 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 201,835 cases and 5,029 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Monday.
A week ago, there were 199,273 cases and 4,792 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 1 de septiembre: 507 casos nuevos y 15 muertes se reportan el martes
507 new cases, 15 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 507 new cases and 15 new deaths on Tuesday.
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 0.81 as of Monday, the lowest in the nation.
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 5,482 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 97 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.
Email sent to parents at Queen Creek high school about COVID-19 exposure
Administrators at Eastmark High School in Queen Creek sent an email to some parents saying their student may have been exposed to COVID-19.
In the letter sent to parents, sent to 12 News anonymously, the school says it learned their student may have been exposed on Aug. 26 or Aug. 27. The school says it was notified on Aug. 28 and alerted the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, which investigated.
The school says the MCDPH "informed us of those who needed to be notified," and the school sent a letter to some parents.
12 News reached out to the school with numerous questions about protocols, what steps the school is taking to minimize risk and what this means for students who received the letter.
"We work with the Maricopa County Department of Health for guidance on reporting positive cases and follow our protocols. All appropriate individuals receive the appropriate notification when necessary," the Queen Creek Unified School District said.
"Eastmark High School is following recommendations from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in our school," the letter sent to some parents read, in part. "This includes reminding all to stay home when they are sick, wearing a facial covering, and washing your hands regularly. Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands or in the air and always try to cough or sneeze into a tissue. As much as you can, avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose."
The full letter sent to those who may have been exposed is below:
Dear Parents:
Late on Sunday night, we learned that your child may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 while at Eastmark High School on August 26/27. We were notified on Friday afternoon, August 28 and immediately contacted the Maricopa County Department of Public Health who informed us they would investigate and contact us with next steps regarding notification. On August 30, Maricopa County concluded their investigation and informed us of those who needed to be notified.
Eastmark High School is committed to implementing measures to protect attendees and staff from exposure to COVID-19 and to make sure you have all the information you need to make informed decisions about your child’s health.
The following information comes from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health:
What is it?
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a virus that had not been previously identified. People with COVID-19 can have a range of symptoms from a mild cold-illness to severe pneumonia. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever (>100.4°F), cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, sore throat, headache, muscle/body aches, runny nose or congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or a new loss of taste or smell.
How is it spread?
COVID-19 spreads most commonly in the same way as the common cold or flu — through respiratory droplets that are produced when someone coughs or sneezes. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health has communicated that they do not believe that COVID-19 spreads through the air across the room, and that it is easily cleaned off of surfaces using routine disinfectants.
Am I at risk?
People who are most at risk are those who have been in close contact (within 6 feet for longer than 10 minutes) with someone who has the infection. According to CDC, risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age and even more so for those who are immune-suppressed or have underlying health conditions such as heart, kidney or lung disease, obesity, or diabetes.
What do I do next?
People who have been exposed to COVID-19 are at risk of becoming ill for up to 14 days after the exposure. If you haven’t developed symptoms by that time, you are unlikely to develop symptoms from this exposure. However, we also know that COVID-19 is widely circulating in our community, so regardless of this exposure, it is important that you continue to monitor yourself for symptoms consistent with COVID-19. If you develop any symptoms, see your healthcare provider and/or get tested with a PCR test (nose swab). This is the best test to determine if you are currently infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. If you are not sure where to go to be tested, please call 2-1-1 for more information. Quarantine Guidance
Eastmark High School is following recommendations from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in our school. This includes reminding all to stay home when they are sick, wearing a facial covering, and washing your hands regularly. Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands or in the air and always try to cough or sneeze into a tissue. As much as you can, avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.
For privacy reasons and in observance of direction received late yesterday evening from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, we are unable to share more about the individual case. Additional information can be found at Maricopa.gov/Covid19.
Thank you for your patience during this challenging time.
Eastmark High School Administration
Expiration date of some Arizona licenses delayed
Gov. Doug Ducey's office announced Tuesday that standard driver licenses that have an expiration date between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 will be delayed by one year from their original expiration date.
All Arizona law enforcement officers as well as state government agencies, county and municipal governments and election officials will accept Arizona driver license cards with expiration dates between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 as valid identification.
Drivers may see their updated driver license expiration date at AZMVDNow.gov.
Navajo Nation reports one recent COVID-19 death
The Navajo Department of Health reported 20 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and one more death.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is 9,820.
The total number of deaths reached 503 as of Monday.
7,078 people have recovered from COVID-19 and 94,743 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
- Chinle Service Unit: 2,327
- Crownpoint Service Unit: 807
- Ft. Defiance Service Unit: 917
- Gallup Service Unit: 1,572
- Kayenta Service Unit: 1,301
- Shiprock Service Unit: 1,501
- Tuba City Service Unit: 932
- Winslow Service Unit: 457
Arizonans encouraged to get vaccinated for seasonal flu
Gov. Doug Ducey and state health leaders are encouraging Arizona residents to get vaccinated for the seasonal flu.
Ducey says the state has made significant gains in controlling the spread of the coronavirus, and now he's making more resources available for people to get access to the flu vaccine in hopes of keeping hospitalizations low.
"It's never been more important to get your flu shot," Ducey said. "Arizona’s most important partner in this fight is you; the people of Arizona."
State health director Cara Christ says Arizona saw 36,000 cases of the seasonal flu reported last year and 10% of all hospitalizations were flu-related.
You can read more about how to find a vaccination site near you here.
Ostrich Festival canceled for 2020
The Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival will be canceled this year and will instead be held in March 2021.
It was originally rescheduled for October.
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) 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 Tuesday
There have been 202,342 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,044 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 201,835 cases and 5,029 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Monday.
There were 507 new cases reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 174 new cases reported on Monday.
There were 15 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the zero new deaths reported on Monday.
There were 5,482 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 97 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 4,954 new tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 5,871 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 1,475,209 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
11.5% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, the same as Monday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 134,004
- Pima: 21,286
- Pinal: 9,616
- Coconino: 3,334
- Navajo: 5,602
- Apache: 3,341
- Mohave: 3,639
- La Paz: 498
- Yuma: 12,257
- Graham: 717
- Cochise: 1,824
- Santa Cruz: 2,732
- Yavapai: 2,321
- Gila: 1,113
- Greenlee: 58
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.
