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. 4.
Major updates:
- There have been 204,681 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,171 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 204,681 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,171 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 203,953 cases and 5,130 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
A week ago, there were 200,658 cases and 4,978 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 4 de septiembre: 728 nuevos casos y 41 muertes se reportan el viernes
728 new cases, 41 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 728 new cases and 41 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 1.01 as of Thursday, up from 0.95 as of Wednesday. According to Rt.live, Arizona's been over 1 since Aug. 20.
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.
University of Arizona to increase COVID-19 testing
The University of Arizona is expected to increase the number of COVID-19 tests conducted on campus to 5,000 per week.
The university's daily case report on Wednesday showed 126 of 1,520 tests came back positive, for a positivity rate of 8.3%.
Navajo Nation: 41 new cases and 1 death
Of the 41 new cases, seven came from the Kingman service area, eight from the Bullhead City service area, four from the Lake Havasu service area and one from the North County service area.
The single coronavirus death fell into the 70 to 79-year-old age range.
Today's count brings the totals to 3,680 cases and 200 deaths.
Maricopa, Pima counties allowed to partially reopen schools
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Thursday that eight counties have met the recommended benchmarks to partially reopen schools.
Schools in the following counties can resume a hybrid learning model combining in-person and online learning:
- Cochise
- Coconino
- Maricopa
- Navajo
- Pima
- Pinal
Apache and Yavapai counties have already met those benchmarks.
Two other counties, Greenlee and La Paz, have met the benchmarks to resume full in-person instruction.
The department recommends that schools can consider moving from virtual instruction to a combination of virtual and in-person learning while implementing mitigation measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Cactus Shadows High School provides an update for in-person learning
Cactus Shadows High school was set to reopen for in-person classes on Tuesday, Sept. 8. They announced today that they currently do not have enough staff to safely reopen.
The school will revert back to their social distance learning model, which includes Zoom classes.
More information available on their Facebook page.
Arizona unemployment boss says extra $300 pay to end soon
Unemployed Arizona residents who have received an extra $300 a week under a Trump administration coronavirus relief program are likely to lose that extra benefit in the coming weeks.
Department of Economic Security Director Michael Wisehart said Wednesday that Arizonans getting the extra pay on top of the regular $240 per week unemployment benefit will get that cash this week and possibly next.
But the pool of federal cash President Donald Trump is tapping could run out after that.
Some 392,000 Arizonans are currently receiving unemployment benefits, up from about 17,500 before the pandemic hit in March.
The above article is from the Associated Press.
Arizona Science Center to open to the general public
The Arizona Science Center will open its doors to the general public on Friday. It had already opened to members on Aug. 28.
Visitors will have the options for self-guided tour, guided experiences, or a combination of both while following strict health and safety guidelines.
The science center will remain closed on Tuesdays for deep cleaning. Some exhibits will remain closed.
Tempe to reopen park playgrounds this weekend
The city of Tempe announced that all neighborhood park playgrounds and outdoor exercise equipment will reopen to the community starting Friday.
The city’s three splash pads at Esquer, Hudson and Jaycee parks will also reopen.
The city also said that the Kiwanis Tennis Center will resume leagues, drop-ins, challenge courts and mix and match.
Find more information here.
Navajo Nation recoveries top 7,100
The Navajo Department of Health reported 24 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 9,871.
The total number of deaths remains 504 as previously reported on Wednesday.
Reports indicate that 7,113 individuals have recovered from COVID-19 and 96,397 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
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 Friday
There have been 204,681 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,171 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 203,953 cases and 5,130 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
There were 728 new cases reported on Friday, a decrease from the 1,091 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were 41 new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 65 new deaths reported on Thursday.
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, 14,841 new tests were reported on Friday, an increase from the 10,240 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 1,505,837 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
11.3% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, down from 11.4% on Thursday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 135,495
- Pima: 21,574
- Pinal: 9,839
- Coconino: 3,373
- Navajo: 5,641
- Apache: 3,360
- Mohave: 3,700
- La Paz: 514
- Yuma: 12,297
- Graham: 750
- Cochise: 1,838
- Santa Cruz: 2,771
- Yavapai: 2,345
- Gila: 1,125
- 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.
