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 Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Major updates:
- There have been 209,907 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,371 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- 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 Wednesday
There have been 209,907 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,371 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 209,209 cases and 5,344 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 206,541 cases and 5,251 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 16 de septiembre: 695 casos nuevos y 27 decesos se reportan el miércoles
695 new cases, 27 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 695 new cases and 27 new deaths on Wednesday.
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 1.01 as of Monday, down from 1.05 on Sunday.
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 5,471 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.
Genome study finds 11 early sources for COVID-19 in Arizona
A new paper finds that at least 11 people infected with COVID-19 traveled to Arizona and passed the disease to others.
Those infections started local transmission chains that seeded the state's earliest coronavirus outbreaks starting in mid-February.
Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Arizona's three universities reached that conclusion as part of an extensive effort to sequence the genomes of virus samples.
They found that 80% of infections in the early phase of the outbreak stemmed from those 11 people.
They also determined that a person who became Arizona's first case of COVID-19 after traveling in China did not infect anybody else after he was isolated.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Glendale schools expected to reopen in October
The Glendale Elementary School District announced Tuesday that officials believe its schools will be able to reopen on Oct. 19.
That's "based on the health metrics, and as long as the data continues to be favorable," officials said.
"The return model will be clearly defined for all staff, students and families within the next few weeks with specific timelines for a transition back to school."
Red Mountain High School releases statement of COVID exposure
Today the Red Mountain High School community received a letter from their principal stating that two students and an adult participating on an athletic team have tested positive for the COVID-19.
The letter asks that students and faculty who feel sick stay home to minimize spread.
Read the full letter here:
Fry's to hold flu shot clinic on Saturday
Fry’s Food Stores is hosting a flu shot clinic from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
It will be held at the Kiwanis Park Recreation Center in Tempe.
The flu shot clinics are open to the public and will offer free flu shots through most insurance plans.
Interested participants must register online to receive a flu shot at frysfood.com/flu.
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 Wednesday
There have been 209,907 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,371 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 209,209 cases and 5,344 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
There were 695 new cases reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 484 new cases reported on Tuesday.
There were 27 deaths reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 22 new deaths reported Tuesday.
There were 5,471 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, 16,564 new tests were reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 10,097 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 1,605,444 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
10.9% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, down from 11% on Tuesday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 138,151
- Pima: 22,887
- Pinal: 10,232
- Coconino: 3,624
- Navajo: 5,718
- Apache: 3,410
- Mohave: 3,811
- La Paz: 528
- Yuma: 12,440
- Graham: 776
- Cochise: 1,862
- Santa Cruz: 2,794
- Yavapai: 2,437
- Gila: 1,176
- 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.
Coronavirus facts you should know
