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Coronavirus in Arizona on Feb. 18: 1,143 new cases, 213 new deaths reported Thursday

There have been 802,198 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.

PHOENIX — Editor's note: Here is the live blog for Feb. 19. 

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 Thursday, Feb. 18.

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

Major updates: 

  • There have been 802,198 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.
  • There have been 1,339,829 total vaccines administered as of Thursday.
  • 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.
  • Extreme weather nationwide delays COVID-19 vaccine shipments for Arizona

COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Thursday

There have been 802,198 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.

That's an increase from the 801,055 confirmed cases and 15,063 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.

A week ago, there were 791,106 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 14,662 deaths reported in Arizona.

LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 18 de febrero: 1,143 nuevos casos, 213 muerte se reportan el jueves

1,143 new cases, 213 new deaths reported Thursday

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,143 new cases and 213 new deaths on Thursday.

The department did not say the high death count reported Thursday was due to death certificate matching.

Arizona continued to see declines in COVID-19 hospitalizations and seven-day rolling averages of confirmed cases and deaths. That's according to data from the state’s coronavirus dashboard and The COVID Tracking Project.

Arizona has administered 1,339,829 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Thursday.

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 are 275 hospitalizations per 1 million in Arizona as of Wednesday, according to The COVID Tracking Project. You can find more data from the project here.

There were 12,158 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 11,654 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 167 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 160 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 15,000 coronavirus deaths 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 schools eligible to get much-needed financial help

Arizona schools are now eligible to get much-needed financial help for COVID-19 relief. Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.

Peoria school district to host closed COVID-19 vaccination site this weekend

The Peoria Unified School District will host a closed COVID-19 vaccination site this weekend, it was announced Thursday. 

The Point of Dispensing site will be open at Liberty High School from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The event will be by appointment only. 

It will only be available for Peoria Unified staff and other educators and childcare workers in the community. The event is not open to the greater community and eligibility will be checked upon arrival. 

The Moderna vaccine will be given at the closed POD.

More than 800 people are expected to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. Another event for the second dose is expected to be held in March. 

Eligible people can make an appointment through the county health department.

Extreme weather nationwide delays COVID-19 vaccine shipments for Arizona

Major winter storms across the U.S. are delaying crucial COVID-19 shipments to Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services said.

Some appointments scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday have been canceled, but the department didn’t say how many Arizonans will be affected.

The department has not said if those canceled appointments will be rescheduled in the future.

The cancellations affect people scheduled for the Moderna vaccine. 

RELATED: Extreme weather delaying Arizona coronavirus vaccine shipments, ADHS says

Maricopa County releases more vaccine appointments at local pharmacies

Maricopa County public health officials released more COVID-19 vaccine appointments Tuesday morning as part of a new federal pharmacy program.

The appointments will be available at various pharmacies, including many Safeway and Fry's locations. 

You can find a location near you and check to see if they have available appointments here.

Players return to COVID protocols as spring training opens

Pitchers and catchers around baseball reported to spring training Wednesday appreciating what’s at stake as they try to follow COVID-19 protocols make sure the season runs with minimal interruptions. 

They must follow even tougher restrictions than they dealt with during the abbreviated 2020 season. 

MLB is hoping to have a full, 162-game season after playing a 60-game schedule last year that included no fans in the stands until the postseason.

The above article is from The Associated Press.

Arizona county leaders rescind expanded eviction ban

The Pima County Board of Supervisors has rescinded an expanded eviction moratorium enacted early this month after two Republican state lawmakers asked the Arizona attorney general to review whether it was legal. 

The 3-2 vote by the board at Tuesday’s meeting avoids the potential loss of state shared revenue the county would have faced if Attorney General Mark Brnovich agreed with the GOP lawmakers. 

Sen. Vince Leach and Rep. Bret Roberts alleged the county ban violates state law because it blocks evictions that aren’t covered under a federal eviction moratorium. 

The board will consider the ban again next month. 

The above article is from The Associated Press.

Navajo Nation reports 27 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths

Navajo Nation officials reported 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Wednesday with two additional deaths.

The latest numbers bring the total number of cases on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah to 29,336 since the pandemic began. 

There have been 1,114 reported deaths that were related to COVID-19. 

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement that even those who have been fully vaccinated need to continue taking precautions to avoid spreading the virus. 

The tribe has a nightly curfew in place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. to limit the spread of the virus.

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 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Thursday.

Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?

The state and each county is offering vaccines to people in Phase 1B. Gila County has extended vaccines to some people in Phase 1C. 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 three locations where the state is administering vaccines: State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium and University of Arizona's Tucson campus. 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:

“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 Thursday

There have been 802,198 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,276 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.

That's an increase from the 801,055 confirmed cases and 15,063 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.

There were 1,143 new cases reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 1,315 new cases reported on Wednesday.

There were 213 new deaths reported on Thursday, an increase from the 82 new deaths reported on Wednesday.

There were 12,158 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 11,654 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 167 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 160 people died. That is subject to change.

In total, 6,742 new tests were reported on Thursday, an increase from the 6,280 new tests reported on Wednesday.

There have been a total of 4,085,719 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday. 

14.3% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, the same as Wednesday.

Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:

  • Maricopa: 501,214
  • Pima: 107,582
  • Pinal: 45,117
  • Coconino: 16,138
  • Navajo: 15,311
  • Apache: 10,203
  • Mohave: 20,695
  • La Paz: 2,376
  • Yuma: 36,190
  • Graham: 5,239
  • Cochise: 10,882
  • Santa Cruz: 7,592
  • Yavapai: 16,793
  • Gila: 6,318
  • Greenlee: 548

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.

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