ARIZONA, USA — 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, July 18.
Major updates:
- There have been 141,265 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 2,730 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Saturday morning.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered, but Johns Hopkins University estimates the number of people who have recovered.
- Testing blitz in South Phoenix and Maryvale started Friday.
- DHS is giving out free masks to vulnerable Arizonans. Scroll down for the link.
- Fry's announces mask mandate to start July 22.
- 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 141,265 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 2,730 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 138,523 cases and 2,583 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Friday.
A week ago, there were 119,930 cases and 2,151 deaths reported in Arizona.
Gov. Ducey extends eviction moratorium
A new executive order announced by Gov. Doug Ducey extends protection to renters affected by the pandemic through October by extending the eviction moratorium.
The executive order also adds $5 million to establish the Foreclosure Prevention Program, which will provide relief to homeowners who rely on income from tenants.
Free masks available for some Arizonans
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Thursday 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.
Navajo Nation moving forward with COVID-19 Water Access Mission, releases new case numbers
The Navajo Nation reported on Friday that it is beginning a large-scale initiative to bring clean water to residents living in homes without piped water access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative, named the COVID-19 Water Access Mission, is using funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to "support the installation of up to 54 transitional water points, assistance with water fees, supply of up to 37,000 water storage containers, and up to 3.5 million doses of water disinfection tablets."
The news of this initiative comes as the nation reported that it had five more coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total to 412 deaths, and 50 residents newly test positive for the virus, bringing the total to 8,536 people infected with the virus. The nation also said that 6,240 people have recovered from the virus.
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 141,265 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 2,730 coronavirus-related deaths.
That is an increase from 138,523 cases and 2,583 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Friday.
That's an increase of 2,730 new cases reported on Saturday, an increase from the 3,910 new cases reported on Friday.
There were 147 new deaths reported on Saturday, an increase from the 91 deaths reported on Friday.
There were 5,401 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 June 30, when 57 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 9,026 new tests were reported on Saturday, a decrease from the 18,028 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 978,863 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
12.3% of those tests have been positive, an increase from 12.2% on Friday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 93,870
- Pima: 13,270
- Pinal: 6,536
- Coconino: 2,647
- Navajo: 4,768
- Apache: 2,735
- Mohave: 2,229
- La Paz: 434
- Yuma: 9,086
- Graham: 278
- Cochise: 1,217
- Santa Cruz: 2,270
- Yavapai: 1,335
- Gila: 551
- Greenlee: 39
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.
Coronavirus facts you should know
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- 'A force to be reckoned with': Remembering Phoenix Postmaster who died from COVID-19
- 'Catastrophe' to not extend unemployment help, ex-Fed chair tells Congress
- White House blocking CDC head from testifying about school opening, Democrats say
- Arizona banks: Deposit and use spare change