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, Nov. 22.
Major updates:
- There have been 295,334 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,457 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.
- No more visitors at Banner Health locations.
RELATED: 412% increase in cases and 4 more graphs showing how COVID-19 metrics are rising in the last 6 weeks
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Saturday
There have been 295,334 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,457 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 291,696 confirmed cases and 6,427 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.
A week ago, there were 273,053 cases and 6,300 deaths reported in Arizona.
Mesa Fire to hold free flu shot clinic Saturday
The Mesa Fire and Medical Department and Mesa Public Schools will put on a free flu shot clinic on Saturday.
The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Skyline High School.
It'll be available for adults and children 6 months and older.
No more visitors at Banner Health
Visitors will no longer be allowed in any Banner Health location in Arizona, beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 22, the health system announced on Friday.
The decision comes as Arizona reported 4,471 new cases and 43 new deaths on Friday. It was also the second-highest number of new daily cases ever reported in Arizona after 4,877 new cases were reported on July 1.
According to Banner, this includes outpatient and ambulatory locations, such as clinics, urgent care, imaging centers, surgery centers and occupational health services locations.
Below are the four exceptions to the visitor restrictions, listed by Banner:
- Pediatric patients (under the age of 18) may have one guardian or support individual with them.
- Laboring mothers may have one support person with them. Doulas will also be permitted but must leave after the birth.
- Persons with disabilities who, due to the specifics of the disability, require assistance from someone in order to effectively participate in the health care process will be allowed to designate a support person to accompany them while in any Banner facility.
- End of life visitations will be accommodated.
Everyone who enters a Banner Health facility is subject to a health screening to ensure they are not exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness. Masks also must be worn at all times while inside Banner facilities.
Valleywise Health Medical Center also said it would restrict visitors starting Monday.
One parent or guardian would be allowed per pediatric/NICU patient, one person per laboring or postpartum mother and one healthy support person or caregiver to vulnerable patients. End of life situations would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Arizona school districts return to remote learning as COVID-19 cases surge
Multiple school districts across the Valley and Arizona are moving back to online learning due to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Officials from the Glendale Union High School District announced Thursday that they will return to remote learning, according to an emailed release from the district.
In the email, numbers show the district has "hit red for the second consecutive week and are now in red in two different categories."
Cases per 100,000 people are at 169.14 and percent positivity is at 11.9%, both categories are in the red.
RELATED: Glendale Union HSD to return to remote learning as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Arizona
The Tempe Elementary School District told families on Thursday that its schools will be returning to 100% remote learning on Monday.
"Unfortunately, COVID metrics today are much worse than last week, and we are now in the SUBSTANTIAL RISK category, requiring us to return to 100% virtual learning for all students," Superintendent Christine Busch wrote in a letter to families.
Cases per 100,000 people were at 123.27 last week and are now at 255.79, according to the district.
The district plans to return to on-site learning for all students on Jan. 4, 2021.
The Washington Elementary School District will also move to online learning Monday "due to the substantial increase of cases and positivity" in the district.
The Kyrene School District will also go back to online learning starting Nov. 30. Live instruction will begin on Dec. 1.
The Yuma Union High School District also announced that it would return to online learning starting Monday.
The district's governing board said they would review Yuma County's COVID-19 metrics in December and January to determine the next steps.
AIA postpones Arizona winter sports season
The Arizona Interscholastic Association announced Thursday it is pushing back the start of the winter sports season in high school athletics to Jan. 5.
The AIA oversees high school sports and activities.
The last permissible day of competition for winter sports will be Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, which includes any play-in competitions, the AIA says.
Schools must have a minimum of 14 days of practice before any competition can begin.
Navajo Nation case update
The Navajo Department of Health announced 168 new cases and three new COVID-19 deaths on Saturday.
Their three-week lockdown is still in effect. The Nez--Lizer Administration will hold an online town hall tomorrow to provide updates at 5 p.m.
More information on coronavirus cases from Saturday
There have been 295,334 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,457 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 291,696 confirmed cases and 6,427 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.
There were 3,638 new cases reported on Saturday, a decrease from the 4,471 reported on Friday.
There were 30 new deaths reported on Saturday, a decrease from 43 reported on Friday.
There were 5,450 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 103 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 20,529 new tests were reported on Saturday, an increase from the 27,614 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 2,439,522 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Saturday.
9.8% of those tests have been positive as of Saturday, the same as Friday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 187,636
- Pima: 35,237
- Pinal: 15,009
- Coconino: 6,865
- Navajo: 7,537
- Apache: 4,886
- Mohave: 5,593
- La Paz: 744
- Yuma: 16,307
- Graham: 1,873
- Cochise: 3,079
- Santa Cruz: 3,524
- Yavapai: 4,261
- Gila: 2,612
- Greenlee: 171
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.
