PHOENIX — The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Arizona continues to rise.
In an effort to track the changes, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Saturday, June 27.
Major updates:
- There have been 70,051 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 1,579 coronavirus-related deaths, as of Saturday morning.
- VP Mike Pence is scrubbing his upcoming campaign events in Arizona over coronavirus concerns.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered.
- Gov. Doug Ducey allowed cities to set own mask requirements
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Saturday
There have been 70,051 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 1,579 coronavirus-related deaths as of Saturday, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's up from 66,458 cases and 1,535 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Friday.
A week ago, there were 49,798 cases and 1,338 deaths reported in Arizona.
Trump administration postpones Mike Pence's Tucson campaign event due to spike in cases
Mike Pence's "Faith in America" event in Tucson will be postponed due to the surge in coronavirus cases in the state, according to NBC's reporter Josh Lederman.
Pence was slated to headline the event in Tucson, followed by a stop in Yuma to speak "on the efforts the state is taking to combat COVID-19," the White House said in an email on Wednesday.
He is still expected to visit Arizona to meet with Gov. Ducey.
Arizona hospitals want more power to decide who gets care
Arizona hospitals on Friday asked the state Department of Health Services to formally activate crisis standards of care, rarely used guidelines that would give health care providers more freedom to decide who should be treated for the coronavirus and how they should be treated.
The 14-page crisis standards for treating COVID-19 patients are a guide for dealing with scarce resources:
- Hospitals could allocate resources to patients with the best chance of survival or the longest projected lifespan.
- Decisions would be guided by a points scale and a color-coded triage chart to determine a patient’s priority for care.
- No one would be denied care “based on stereotypes, assumptions about any person’s quality of life, or judgment about a person’s ‘worth’ based on the presence or absence of disabilities."
- The standards stress that “all efforts must be made to determine a patient’s goals of care and treatment preferences.”
- Health care companies could also seek liability protection to allow them to make those triage decisions.
RELATED: Arizona hospitals want more power to decide who gets care as COVID-19 overwhelms facilities, staff
CDC expands list of groups at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its list of individuals who are considered at an increased risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19.
The CDC explained that it's clear a substantial number of Americans are at increased risk of severe illness from the coronavirus pandemic – highlighting the importance of continuing to follow preventive measures.
Experts determined there was consistent evidence these conditions increase a person's risk, regardless of age:
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Obesity (BMI of 30 or higher)
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes
Masks now required in public
Gov. Doug Ducey allowed individual Arizona cities to create their own policies about face-covering requirements and enforcement on Wednesday.
A face covering has proven to be effective at limiting the spread of COVID-19, according to the CDC. The virus is primarily spread by in-person contact through sneezes and coughs.
Many cities, including Phoenix, have adopted their own mask requirement that is now in effect.
How to get tested for the coronavirus in Arizona
Are you looking to get tested for coronavirus in Arizona?
If you have reason to believe you have contracted coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, this is what you should do.
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 Saturday
There have been 70,051 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 1,579 coronavirus-related deaths as of Saturday.
That's up from 66,458 cases and 1,535 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Friday.
That's an increase of 3,591 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 3,428 new cases reported on Friday.
There were 44 new deaths reported on Saturday, a small decrease from the 45 new deaths reported on Friday.
In total, 19,827 new tests were reported on Saturday, an increase from the 17,807 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 656,777 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Saturday.
9.4% of those tests have been positive, an increase from the 9.1% on Friday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 42,374
- Pima: 7,086
- Pinal: 3,154
- Coconino: 1,735
- Navajo: 3,397
- Apache: 2,250
- Mohave: 962
- La Paz: 315
- Yuma: 5,607
- Graham: 82
- Cochise: 538
- Santa Cruz: 1,654
- Yavapai: 628
- Gila: 249
- Greenlee: 18
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.
