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Coronavirus in Arizona on Aug. 24: 311 new cases, zero new deaths reported Monday

There have been 198,414 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,771 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.

PHOENIX — Editor's note: Here's the live blog for Aug. 25.

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 Monday, Aug. 24.

Major updates: 

  • There have been 198,414 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,771 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.
  • The state does not record how many people have recovered, but Johns Hopkins University estimates the number of people who have recovered.
  • Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.

COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Monday

There have been 198,414 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,771 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.

That is an increase from 198,103 cases and 4,771 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Sunday.

A week ago, there were 194,005 cases and 4,506 deaths reported in Arizona.

LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 24 de agosto: 311 casos nuevos y no se reportan muertes el lunes

311 new cases, zero new deaths reported Monday

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 311 new cases and zero new deaths on Monday.

It was the second straight Monday where no new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Arizona.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 198,000 on Sunday. The state's total death toll also topped 4,700 on Saturday.

Arizona reached 100,000 coronavirus cases on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 4,000 coronavirus deaths 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 0.76 as of Sunday, one of the lowest 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 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 95 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.

COVID-19 is ‘a crisis within a crisis’ for homeless people

Homeless people are among the most vulnerable populations in the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they’re largely invisible victims. 

Very little is known about how they’re faring. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees homeless programs, has not required its national network of providers to gather infection or death data, even though homeless people, unlike other high-risk groups such as nursing home residents, interact more with the public.  

The administration’s homelessness czar told Congress in July there had been just 130 homeless deaths. 

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism tracked at least 206 nationwide by early August.

The above article is from The Associated Press.

Some UArizona students to return to class

The University of Arizona is in its phase one classes, meaning most students will not be in classrooms as of Monday. Team 12's Marc Liverman has the latest.

Arizona educators urge Gov. Ducey to create statewide classroom plan

The Arizona Education Association issued a statement on Friday urging Gov. Doug Ducey to create a statewide plan for reopening classrooms.

"It is time for you to act in the best interests of our children and their educators. Arizona needs a statewide plan regarding school safety," the statement read in part.

Ducey is allowing school districts to create their own plans for reopening to cater to local area needs. Some districts have already reopened, but with some push back from staff.

AZDHS has created a guidance plan for reopening classrooms. Districts can choose to reopen even if they don't meet the state recommendations.

Businesses heavily lobbied Ducey during pandemic

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey had no shortage of advice when he was considering reopening the state following a six-week coronavirus shutdown that ended in mid-May. 

Records provided to The Associated Press show the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a national small business lobbying group were among those sending letters to the Republican governor offering their take on what they needed. 

Other key groups seeking the governor’s ear were associations representing hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. 

Hospitals sought waivers to allow them to restart elective surgeries, and Ducey complied. 

The above article is from The Associated Press. 

Companies continue to develop COVID-19 vaccine

Several companies are working on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. But what's taking so long? Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.

Navajo Nation reports no recent COVID-19 deaths

The Navajo Department of Health reported 12 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths. 

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases is 9,547.

The total number of deaths remains 493 as reported on Saturday. 

Reports indicate that 7,061 individuals have recovered from COVID-19. 

91,888 COVID-19 tests have been administered.

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.

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 Monday

There have been 198,414 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,771 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.

That is an increase from 198,103 cases and 4,771 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Sunday.

There were 311 new cases reported on Monday, an increase from the 207 new cases reported on Sunday.

There were zero new deaths reported on Monday, a decrease from the 15 new deaths reported on Sunday.

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 95 people died. That is subject to change.

In total, 7,552 new tests were reported on Monday, a decrease from the 8,062 new tests reported on Sunday.

There have been a total of 1,416,368 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Monday. 

11.8% of those tests have been positive as of Monday, the same as Sunday.

Here's a county breakdown:

  • Maricopa: 131,962
  • Pima: 20,535
  • Pinal: 9,211
  • Coconino: 3,249
  • Navajo: 5,496
  • Apache: 3,301
  • Mohave: 3,500
  • La Paz: 495
  • Yuma: 12,072
  • Graham: 669
  • Cochise: 1,795
  • Santa Cruz: 2,745
  • Yavapai: 2,249
  • Gila: 1,076
  • Greenlee: 58

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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