ARIZONA, USA — 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, Dec. 12.
Major updates:
- There have been 402,588 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,322 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.
- Fry's to provide access to COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona
- Dr. Cara Christ gives update on vaccine allocation in Arizona.
- Some Chandler teachers call out sick
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Saturday
There have been 402,588 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,322 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 394,512 confirmed cases and 7,245 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.
A week ago, there were 352,101 cases and 6,885 deaths reported in Arizona.
More on the COVID-19 vaccine plan in Arizona can be found here on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.
8,076 new cases, 77 new deaths reported Saturday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 8,076 new cases and 77 new deaths on Saturday.
Saturday was the second highest number on a single day since the pandemic began.
Virus-related hospitalizations also continued to climb during the current surge.
Arizona’s cases, deaths and hospitalizations were already steadily rising before Thanksgiving, when gatherings and travel were expected to further spread the coronavirus.
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.
Arizona reached 400,000 coronavirus cases today, 300,000 coronavirus cases on Nov. 23, 200,000 on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21.
The state reached 7,000 coronavirus deaths 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.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 1.22 on Wednesday, the top state in the nation for rate of spread and up from the 1.21 on Tuesday.
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 7,763 cases reported on the collection date of Nov. 30, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 1, with 7,335 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 103 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.
Pima County Supervisor-elect Adelita Grijalva has tested positive for COVID-19
According to a press release, Grijalva tested positive and is now in isolation. She is currently asymptomatic and unsure about how she contracted the virus.
Phoenix Union High School District to continue virtual learning
The Phoenix Union High School District announced Friday students and staff would not be able to transition to in-person learning for the new semester in January. Phoenix Union schools will continue distance learning through at least February 16.
The district set January 18 as the next time the return date will be assessed. If the community data is not improved, the district will push back the in-person learning date to March 15, the beginning of the fourth academic quarter.
Grab and go meals are available for all children 18 years old and younger or 21 years old and younger for people with special needs. Learn more about meals 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 Saturday
There have been 402,589 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,322 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 394,512 confirmed cases and 7,245 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.
There were 8,076 new cases reported on Saturday, an increase from the 6,983 new cases reported on Friday.
There were 77 new deaths reported on Saturday, a decrease from the 91 new deaths reported on Friday.
There were 7,763 cases reported on the collection date of Nov. 30, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 1, with 7,335 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 103 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 26,968 new tests were reported on Saturday, an increase from the 23,995 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 2,862,539 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Saturday.
11.0% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, up from 10.9% on Friday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 250,319
- Pima: 50,852
- Pinal: 21,091
- Coconino: 8,969
- Navajo: 9,571
- Apache: 6,412
- Mohave: 8,331
- La Paz: 1,071
- Yuma: 21,881
- Graham: 2,543
- Cochise: 5,055
- Santa Cruz: 4,839
- Yavapai: 7,743
- Gila: 3,591
- Greenlee: 320
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.
