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 Saturday, Sept. 12.
Major updates:
- There have been 208,128 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,315 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Saturday.
- 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 Saturday
There have been 208,128 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,315 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 207,523 cases and 5,288 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Friday.
A week ago, there were 205,516 cases and 5,207 deaths reported in Arizona.
Arizona officials issue nearly $800 million in lost wages help
The Arizona Department of Economic Security announced Friday that officials have issued nearly $800 million in Lost Wages Assistance to unemployment insurance claimants in Arizona.
The news comes as federal officials announced that an extra $300 supplement will end nationwide after the sixth week of funding for each state.
Anyone who hasn't filed weekly claims or whose claims have yet to be processed may still be eligible for benefits.
Arizona DES officials will continue to work with FEMA to provide retroactive LWA payments to claimants who applied for benefits between the week ending Aug. 1 and the week ending Sept. 5.
Scottsdale to begin phasing students back in class on Sept. 21
The Scottsdale Unified School District will start phasing students back into the classroom later this month.
The governing board voted unanimously this week to begin phasing students back to school campuses starting Sept. 21 with kindergarten, first and second graders.
Third, fourth and fifth grade students can return starting Sept. 29, followed by middle school and high schools on Oct. 12, after SUSD’s annual fall break the week of Oct. 5.
Special education students in pre-kindergarten through high school ‘self-contained’ special program classrooms and preschool students, are already scheduled to return to their school buildings on Sept. 14.
6 ASU students suspended for COVID-related violations
Six Arizona State University students have been placed on interim suspension for COVID-19 related violations.
Four of the six students were suspended for activities off-campus and two for activities on-campus.
An interim suspension means that students are immediately suspended and more consequences may be enforced depending on an investigation.
RELATED: Arizona’s health department wants you to report businesses that don’t enforce safety requirements
Mohave County Sept. 12 case count
There have been two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death reported today in Mohave County.
One of the cases was from the Lake Havasu City service area and the other was from the Bullhead City service area. Both cases and the death were in the 60 to 69-year-old age range.
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 Saturday
There have been 208,128 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,315 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 207,523 cases and 5,288 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Friday.
There were 605 new cases reported on Saturday, an increase from the 521 new cases reported on Friday.
There were 27 deaths reported on Saturday, an increase from the 15 new deaths reported Friday.
There were 5,484 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, 9,924 new tests were reported on Saturday, an increase from the 7,493 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 1,563,003 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Saturday.
11.1% of those tests have been positive as of Saturday, the same as Friday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 137,292
- Pima: 22,357
- Pinal: 10,170
- Coconino: 3,491
- Navajo: 5,683
- Apache: 3,384
- Mohave: 3,787
- La Paz: 525
- Yuma: 12,378
- Graham: 773
- Cochise: 1,860
- Santa Cruz: 2,784
- Yavapai: 2,418
- Gila: 1,167
- 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.
