12 News continues to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak and vaccination efforts in Arizona with our daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Tuesday, April 27.
Major updates:
- There have been 860,169 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
- There have been 4,888,954 total vaccines administered as of Tuesday.
- 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
- Arizona no longer requiring appointments for COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Tuesday
There have been 860,169 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 859,487 confirmed cases and 17,268 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
A week ago, there were 855,155 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,193 deaths reported in Arizona.
VERSION EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 27 de abril: 682 nuevos casos, 8 muertes se reportan el martes
682 new cases, 8 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 682 new cases and eight new deaths on Tuesday.
The number of patients hospitalized statewide for virus-related reasons increased slightly to 615 with 185 of those in the ICU.
Arizona has administered 4,888,954 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Tuesday.
More than 2.1 million people, or around 40% of Arizona’s population, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
More than 2.8 million residents have had at least one vaccine shot. Meanwhile, state health officials said nearly 60,000 appointments were still available at state-run vaccination sites.
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.
There were 12,434 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 Jan. 5, with 11,755 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 177 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 172 people died. That is subject to change.
Arizona reached 800,000 coronavirus cases on Feb. 17, 700,000 on Jan. 22, 600,000 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 17,000 coronavirus deaths on April 7, 16,000 on March 2, 15,000 on Feb. 17, 14,000 on Feb. 6, 13,000 on Jan. 29, 12,000 on Jan. 22, 11,000 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.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.
Arizona no longer requiring appointments for COVID-19 vaccines
The Arizona Department of Health Services said appointments will no longer be required for anyone looking to get a COVID-19 vaccine at state-run sites.
The announcement made Tuesday said the change was made due to the high capacity at state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites.
The department stressed that making an appointment is still the best way to complete a vaccination appointment as quickly as possible.
“The appointment numbers clearly suggest that we’ve accommodated a large share of Arizonans who are able to schedule appointments well in advance,” Director Dr. Cara Christ said in a statement.
“State-run sites continue to vaccinate many thousands every day, and there is now room for those who simply want to walk in at their convenience.”
Locations and hours of state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites in the Valley, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff are available at azdhs.gov/FindVaccine.
This website also lists the growing number of other locations offering vaccination, including pharmacies and federally qualified health centers.
State sites will continue operating in the coming weeks and an increasing supply of vaccine will allow a greater shift to locations further into communities, including pop-up clinics in neighborhood locations and at employers.
Navajo Nation reports 26 new COVID-19 cases, 10 more deaths
The Navajo Nation is reporting 26 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 additional deaths.
Tribal health officials released figures combining new cases found over the weekend.
This brings the total number of virus-related deaths on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah to 1,273. More than 30,000 cases have been documented.
The Navajo Department of Health on Monday is expected to loosen some virus-driven restrictions on restaurants, parks, casinos and other public places.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says more than half of the reservation’s adult population has been vaccinated.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Here is the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services said more than 4.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Tuesday.
Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?
The state and Maricopa and Pima counties have expanded vaccine eligibility to Arizonans 16 and older. Other counties are offering vaccines to people in Phase 1B. Gila County has extended vaccines to some people in Phase 1C and Mohave County opened vaccines to all adults. Learn more about the phases here.
How can I sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can sign up for a vaccine through the state here or find more information about finding up through the counties here.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
There are seven locations where the state is administering vaccines: Gila River Arena in Glendale, Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, WestWorld in Scottsdale, Dexcom in Mesa, University of Arizona's Tucson campus, Northern Arizona University's Union Fieldhouse and Yuma Civic Center in Yuma. All other locations are run through the individual counties or federal programs.
Where can I find more information on a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can find more vaccine information at 12News.com/Vaccine.
COVID-19 data dashboard now includes vaccine information
The Arizona Department of Health Services updated its COVID-19 data dashboard to include information including vaccination numbers and demographic data.
The new information can be found on the dashboard in the tab right next to the summary tab where daily coronavirus cases, deaths, and testing numbers are updated.
You can see the updated dashboard 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 Tuesday
There have been 860,169 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 859,487 confirmed cases and 17,268 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
There were 682 new coronavirus cases reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 750 new cases reported on Monday.
There were eight new coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the zero new deaths reported on Monday.
There were 12,434 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 Jan. 5, with 11,755 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 177 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 172 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 10,457 new diagnostic tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 16,621 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 9,106,088 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
10.4% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, the same as Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 535,436
- Pima: 114,956
- Pinal: 51,105
- Coconino: 17,677
- Navajo: 16,153
- Apache: 11,299
- Mohave: 22,607
- La Paz: 2,454
- Yuma: 37,056
- Graham: 5,544
- Cochise: 11,893
- Santa Cruz: 7,914
- Yavapai: 18,636
- Gila: 6,869
- Greenlee: 570
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.
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
See videos featuring the latest news about COVID-19, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus on our 12 News YouTube page here.