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. 30.
Major updates:
- There have been 218,507 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,650 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 218,507 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,650 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 218,184 cases and 5,632 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 215,284 cases and 5,525 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 30 de septiembre: 323 casos nuevos y 18 decesos se reportan el miércoles
323 new cases, 18 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 323 new cases and 18 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 0.90 on Monday, the same as 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 5,465 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths were July 16 and 17, when 98 people died each day. 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.
Arizona joins national effort to increase plasma donations for COVID-19 patients
Arizona is joining a national push to help people who have contracted COVID-19. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
Arizona schools chief calls for continued masking
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said in a statement on Wednesday that "all Arizonans must continue to #MaskUp to protect our teachers and students."
"To ensure our hard-earned gains against the virus continue, we cannot let up on these mitigation strategies," Hoffman said in the statement.
"Paramount to these efforts are continued use of face coverings when in public, which is why masking must continue to be a priority for every person and community in our state."
Arizona to get 2 million rapid COVID-19 tests
Arizona will receive 2.19 million Abbott rapid point-of-care tests from the federal government, Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday.
The governor's office said the tests can produce results within 15 minutes. They're expected to be delivered, with shipments going out in the next week or so.
The Arizona Department of Health Services is working with county health departments to prioritize the tests for K-12 schools and congregate care facilities for vulnerable individuals.
Lake Havasu City lifts citywide mask mandate during pandemic
The mayor of a western Arizona tourist destination has lifted a citywide mask mandate originally ordered in July requiring facial coverings indoors when social distancing was not possible.
Today’s News-Herald reported that Lake Havasu City Mayor Cal Sheehy suspended the mandate on Monday after it was extended twice, most recently on Aug. 28.
The order was set to expire Oct. 15.
Sheehy said he would use data to determine when to lift the mask mandate.
Mohave County includes Lake Havasu City and it met the threshold to allow businesses to reopen on Sept. 3.
The county met the state benchmarks for in-person education on Thursday.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
University of Arizona stay-at-home request expires
The University of Arizona says a two-week shelter-in-place recommendation intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 expired Tuesday.
University officials on Monday cited recent COVID-19 testing data that has shown numbers that are headed in the right direction.
Officials say the university’s daily positivity rate which measures community spread fell to 3.4% on Friday, below the targeted 5%.
President Robert Robbins is positive about the university's direction but has raised concerns that students are not following the necessary steps.
He warned that the recommendation could be reinstated.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation has no COVID-19 deaths for 2nd consecutive day
Navajo Nation health officials reported 20 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, but no additional deaths for the second consecutive day.
The latest figures bring the total number of cases to 10,333 with the known death toll remaining at 555.
Tribal officials say 106,194 people have been tested on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and 7,255 have recovered from COVID-19.
The Navajo Nation has implemented a stricter weekend lockdown as it looks into new clusters of coronavirus cases from family gatherings and off-reservation travel.
Residents now are being required to stay home from Friday evening until early Monday morning. More recent weekend lockdowns were a day shorter.
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 Wednesday
There have been 218,507 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,650 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 218,184 cases and 5,632 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
There were 323 new cases reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 675 reported on Tuesday.
There were 18 deaths reported on Wednesday, an increase from the nine reported on Tuesday.
There were 5,465 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths were July 16 and 17, when 98 people died each day. That is subject to change.
In total, 4,586 new tests were reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 5,098 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 1,750,673 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
10.4% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, the same as Tuesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 141,856
- Pima: 25,628
- Pinal: 10,642
- Coconino: 4,166
- Navajo: 5,801
- Apache: 3,554
- Mohave: 4,004
- La Paz: 544
- Yuma: 12,730
- Graham: 851
- Cochise: 1,911
- Santa Cruz: 2,849
- Yavapai: 2,566
- Gila: 1,346
- 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.
