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, Sept. 25.
Major updates:
- There have been 216,367 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,587 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 216,367 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,587 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 215,852 cases and 5,559 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
A week ago, there were 212,942 cases and 5,451 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 25 de septiembre: 518 casos nuevos y 28 decesos se reportan el viernes
518 new cases, 28 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 518 new cases and 28 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 0.93 as of Wednesday, down from 0.94 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 5,469 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 98 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.
Navajo Nation reports 42 new COVID-19 cases
The Navajo Department of Health reported 42 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 10,212.
The total number of deaths remains 551, as previously reported on Thursday.
Reports indicate that 7,242 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 103,959 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
Peoria advances reopening
The city of Peoria will shift to the second phase of the city's plan to reopen next week as coronavirus cases trend down.
Peoria has been on the strictest social distancing phase since May 18, but city leaders say the outbreak has regressed enough to transition to the middle phase on Sept. 18.
The city says facilities and programs will operate under moderate physical distancing protocols and facial masks will be still be required until moving to the least stringent protocol at a future date.
Here are some things the city says will change beginning Monday:
- Ramada rentals are available for less than 50 people.
- Field reservations will resume with moderate restrictions.
- Dial-a-Ride shared rides will resume with moderate restrictions.
- Organized sports will resume with modified rules and schedules.
- Peoria’s two libraries will remain open with reduced group sizes and expanded access to technologies, collections and resources.
- The Peoria Community Center will also reopen, with group sizes limited to 50 participants.
- As local schools begin resuming onsite instruction, Peoria’s AM/PM Before and After School Program will resume with a 1 to 20 staff-student ratio
- City public meetings will open to the public with strict sanitation, moderate occupancy and social distancing protocols.
Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing to be held in Phoenix
Officials are continuing to make it easier than ever to get tested for COVID-19 with more drive-thru testing sites in Phoenix.
Rapid Reliable Testing partnered with the city of Phoenix to provide COVID-19 testing with no out-of-pocket costs.
Drive-thru testing sites will be available at Los Olivos Park. You can pre-register online or register on-site.
The team said it expects to administer 700 tests a day.
It'll be available from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. through Friday.
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 216,367 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,587 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 215,852 cases and 5,559 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
There were 518 new cases reported on Friday, a decrease from the 566 reported on Thursday.
There were 28 deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 34 reported on Thursday.
There were 5,469 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 98 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 8,401 new tests were reported on Friday, a decrease from the 11,591 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 1,713,405 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
10.5% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, down from 10.6% on Thursday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 140,753
- Pima: 25,265
- Pinal: 10,504
- Coconino: 3,985
- Navajo: 5,781
- Apache: 3,507
- Mohave: 3,957
- La Paz: 545
- Yuma: 12,664
- Graham: 815
- Cochise: 1,893
- Santa Cruz: 2,834
- Yavapai: 2,518
- Gila: 1,287
- Greenlee: 59
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.
