12 News continues to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak and vaccination efforts in Arizona with our daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Thursday, March 25.
Major updates:
- There have been 837,987 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,874 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.
- There have been 3,041,773 total vaccines administered as of Thursday.
- 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.
- Go to 12News.com/Vaccine to find more information on the COVID-19 vaccines.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
- Gov. Doug Ducey says local COVID-19 mask mandates will no longer be enforceable
- Glendale Community College to hold week-long COVID-19 vaccine event
- UArizona detected new virus variant on campus
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Thursday
There have been 837,987 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,874 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 837,849 confirmed cases and 16,842 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 834,607 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,645 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 25 de marzo: 138 nuevos casos, 32 muertes se reportan el jueves
138 new cases, 32 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 138 new cases and 32 new deaths on Thursday.
Thursday was the lowest daily case count since 81 cases were reported on Sept. 8, 2020, and also marked the 13th day in a row that the department reported less than 1,000 new cases each day.
The state reported 81 additional cases on Sept. 8 in the trough between last summer’s surge and the worse one over the fall and winter when daily case reports reached as high as 17,000.
Arizona’s seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths continued to decline. That's according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Arizona has administered 3,041,773 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Thursday.
The department reports the number of new cases on the day the cases were reported to them by counties and hospitals, not on the day when someone was diagnosed with the virus.
There were 12,412 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Jan. 5, with 11,760 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 173 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 172 people died. That is subject to change.
Arizona reached 800,000 coronavirus cases on Feb. 17, 700,000 on Jan. 22, 600,000 on Jan. 9, 500,000 on Dec. 28, 400,000 on Dec. 12, 300,000 on Nov. 23, 200,000 on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21.
The state reached 16,000 coronavirus deaths on on March 2, 15,000 on Feb. 17, 14,000 on Feb. 6, 13,000 on Jan. 29, 12,000 on Jan. 22, 11,000 on Jan. 15, 10,000 on Jan. 9, 9,000 on Jan. 1, 8,000 on Dec. 22, 7,000 on Dec. 9, 6,000 on Nov. 3, 5,000 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.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.
Arizona governor lifts mask mandates, re-opens bars
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is prohibiting government mask mandates and allowing bars and nightclubs shuttered for months to open their doors without restrictions.
Ducey’s move Thursday leaves in place few of the restrictions he implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
His order still allows businesses to enforce mask mandates if they want, but cities, towns and counties must lift theirs.
Restrictions on gatherings of 50 or more people also were lifted, but organizers are required to “encourage” safety precautions like social distancing.
The Republican governor cites rising vaccination rates and the opening of vaccine appointments to all adults, as well as a declining number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
UArizona has detected new virus variant on campus
University of Arizona officials said they detected a new variant of the coronavirus on its campus.
The university said the variant first detected in the U.K. was found on campus through a research study being conducted by the university's labs.
"The presence in our community of this more virulent version of the virus that causes COVID-19 means everyone needs to remain vigilant in preventing the spread of this virus," the university said in a statement Thursday.
The CDC warned that this variant is 50% more transmissible and the symptoms are likely to be more severe for those who contract this variant.
University officials urged students and staff to wear a face covering, maintain physical distancing, avoid large gatherings and wash their hands frequently.
Face coverings are required in all university buildings and must be worn outdoors while on any University of Arizona property.
Glendale Community College to hold week-long COVID-19 vaccine event
Glendale Community College will host a week-long event to give residents aged 18 and older a COVID-19 vaccine.
The event will take place at the college campus near 63rd and Olive avenues from Thursday through April 2.
Residents who are 18 years old and older will be able to get the first dose of the Moderna series of vaccines at this event.
It is by appointment only. (Note: This is the provider's website.) Anyone planning to get their vaccine at this event should come with a face mask, photo ID and insurance card if they have one.
The county also expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility on Wednesday.
The county expanded eligibility to the following populations:
- Health care and EMS workers
- Long-term care facility residents & staff
- K-12 Teachers and Staff
- Childcare workers
- Law Enforcement/Protective Services Workers
- Frontline essential workers
- Adults 18 years of age and over
Mohave County expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults
Health officials with Mohave County announced it will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults starting Friday.
The Mohave County Health Department will open vaccinations for everyone 18 and older effective Friday morning.
County Health Director Denise Burley said in a statement, “The tapering of demand in our county and the increased doses being allocated to us enable this transition to all adults in the county.”
The county will be allocated 10,000 Moderna doses and 1,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week.
"We now have a sufficient amount of vaccine on hand, and appointments available in all communities," Burley said.
"This is a great time to make an appointment as we get vaccinations to all in our county who want it.”
Anyone in the county can make an appointment online or by calling 928-753-8665.
Arizona health centers to receive $135M from American Rescue Plan
Nearly two dozen health centers in Arizona are getting a big funding boost from the U.S. government to respond to COVID-19.
Twenty three community health centers in Arizona will receive $135,411,000 in funding from the American Rescue Plan signed by President Joe Biden, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday.
The funding will support COVID-19 vaccination and services for vulnerable populations.
Health centers will be able to use the funds to support and expand COVID-19 vaccination, testing and treatment for vulnerable populations, deliver health care services to those at higher risk for COVID-19 and expand health centers’ operational capacity.
The money will be awarded starting in April.
After 3 days with no COVID deaths, Navajo Nation reports 2
The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 10 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths.
It was the first deaths reported by the tribe after three days without any coronavirus-related fatalities.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s numbers to 30,021 cases and 1,235 known deaths since the pandemic began.
The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening last week with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions.
Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Tribal health officials say nearly 197,000 vaccine shots have been administered so far.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Here is the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services said more than 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Thursday.
Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?
The state and Maricopa County has expanded vaccine eligibility to Arizonans 16 and older. Other counties are offering vaccines to people in Phase 1B. Gila County has extended vaccines to some people in Phase 1C and Mohave County opened vaccines to all adults. Learn more about the phases here.
How can I sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can sign up for a vaccine through the state here or find more information about finding up through the counties here.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
There are four locations where the state is administering vaccines: State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and University of Arizona's Tucson campus. All other locations are run through the individual counties or federal programs.
Where can I find more information on a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can find more vaccine information at 12News.com/Vaccine.
COVID-19 data dashboard now includes vaccine information
The Arizona Department of Health Services updated its COVID-19 data dashboard to include information including vaccination numbers and demographic data.
The new information can be found on the dashboard in the tab right next to the summary tab where daily coronavirus cases, deaths, and testing numbers are updated.
You can see the updated dashboard here.
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.
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 Thursday
There have been 837,987 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,874 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 837,849 confirmed cases and 16,842 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 138 new cases reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 605 new cases reported on Wednesday.
There were 32 new deaths reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 44 new deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 12,412 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Jan. 5, with 11,760 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 173 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 172 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 30,879 new diagnostic tests were reported on Thursday, an increase from the 13,982 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 8,400,353 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
10.9% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, down from 11% on Wednesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 522,285
- Pima: 112,045
- Pinal: 49,087
- Coconino: 16,978
- Navajo: 15,627
- Apache: 10,785
- Mohave: 22,003
- La Paz: 2,440
- Yuma: 36,679
- Graham: 5,355
- Cochise: 11,563
- Santa Cruz: 7,776
- Yavapai: 18,289
- Gila: 6,510
- Greenlee: 563
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.
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
For the latest news about COVID-19, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus, watch our 12 News YouTube Playlist here.