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Coronavirus in Arizona on Jan. 16: 8,715 new cases, 208 new deaths reported

There have been 666,901 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,248 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Saturday.

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, Jan. 16.

Major updates: 

  • There have been 666,901 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,248 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.
  • 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.

RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona: Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Saturday

There have been 666,901 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,248 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.

That's an increase from the 658,186 confirmed cases and 11,040 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.

A week ago, there were 596,251 cases and 9,938 deaths reported in Arizona.

8,715 new cases, 208 new deaths reported Saturday

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 8,715 new cases and 208 new deaths on Saturday.

The department reported triple-digit death tolls each day this week, except for Monday. Numbers reported on Monday are typically lower compared to the rest of the days of the week due to reporting lags over the weekend.

Arizona has administered 217,716 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and has ordered 602,625 doses as of Thursday, but only 21,000 have been fully vaccinated. According to the state, just shy of two million people are now in the Phase 1B group.

Arizona’s cases, deaths and hospitalizations have been 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 600,000 coronavirus cases 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 11,000 coronavirus deaths 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.

Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 1.07 on Thursday, down from the numbers on Tuesday but among the top ten worst in the nation.

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.

RELATED: This is the number that health officials are watching closely in the fight against COVID-19 (And you should too)

There were 11,678 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 Dec. 28, with 11,316 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Dec. 17, when 125 people died. The day with the second-most deaths was Dec. 18, when 121 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.

Navajo Nations reports 189 new cases and 7 more deaths 

Today, the Navajo Department of Health reported 189 new cases of COVID-19 and seven new deaths. 

The new cases bring the total positivity to 26,287 and the total death rate to 915.

Maricopa County will not vaccinate 65-plus until more vaccine is allocated 

In the Maricopa County Public Health update on COVID-19 distribution, Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, Medical Director of Disease Control, said the county's system will not open vaccine distribution to age group 65-74 until more of the vaccine is allocated to the state.

The priority for the county remains with vaccinating phase 1A and priority groups of phase 1B. This means the eight pharmacy providers within the system will not begin when the AZDHS does.

It is currently unknown when the county will receive the allocation of the vaccine needed to move forward. The AZDHS will start taking appointments for this age group on Tuesday.

Arizona to launch second state COVID-19 vaccine site

The Arizona Department of Health Services will launch a second state COVID-19 vaccination site as more people are becoming eligible to receive the vaccine.

Phoenix Municipal Stadium will serve as the second state vaccination site starting Feb. 1. 

Arizonans who are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine -- those in Phases 1A and 1B -- will be able to sign up for an appointment starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. 

That is also the same time when the department will open up Phase 1B vaccinations to people aged 65 and older. 

The stadium will only be open for vaccine appointments during daytime hours.

The number of available appointments will depend on the number of vaccine doses available at that time.

RELATED: Arizona to launch second state COVID-19 vaccination site at Phoenix Municipal Stadium

State Farm Stadium appointments booked through the month

The Arizona Department of Health Services announced that all appointments at State Farm Stadium have been booked for the month of January.

Appointments for February will open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

That is also when priority group 1B can make appointments for the state site in Glendale and at Phoenix Municipal Stadium starting Feb. 1.

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:

“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.

Sign up for the free masks here.

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 666,901 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,248 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.

That's an increase from the 658,186 confirmed cases and 11,040 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.

There were 8,715 new cases reported on Saturday, a decrease from the 9,146 new cases reported on Friday.

There were 208 new deaths reported on Saturday, an increase from the 185 new deaths reported on Friday.

There were 11,678 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 Dec. 28, with 11,316 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Dec. 17, when 125 people died. The day with the second-most deaths was Dec. 18, when 121 people died. That is subject to change.

In total, 20,079 new tests were reported on Saturday, a decrease from the 21,856 new tests reported on Friday.

There have been a total of 3,596,939 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Saturday. 

13.6% 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: 413,282
  • Pima: 88,878
  • Pinal: 36,552
  • Coconino: 13,802
  • Navajo: 13,193
  • Apache: 8,569
  • Mohave: 16,623
  • La Paz: 1,995
  • Yuma: 32,736
  • Graham: 4,316
  • Cochise: 9,540
  • Santa Cruz: 7,001
  • Yavapai: 14,602
  • Gila: 5,333
  • Greenlee: 479

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.

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