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, Jan. 18.
Major updates:
- There have been 679,282 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,265 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.
- 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 to expand COVID-19 vaccine rollout on Tuesday
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Monday
There have been 679,282 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,265 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 673,882 confirmed cases and 11,266 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
A week ago, there were 627,541 cases and 10,147 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 18 de enero: 5,400 nuevos casos, cero muertes se reportan el lunes
5,400 new cases, zero new deaths reported Monday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 5,400 new cases and zero new deaths on Monday.
The numbers reported on Mondays are typically lower compared to the numbers reported during the rest of the week.
The department said Monday that 281,270 Arizonans have been vaccinated, with 32,269 who have received both doses. Maricopa County said 129,439 people had been vaccinated as of Sunday.
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 1.05 on Saturday.
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.
There were 11,749 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 11,424 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.
Arizona to expand COVID-19 vaccine rollout on Tuesday
More Arizonans will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment starting Tuesday morning.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said people over 65 can sign up for a vaccine starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
That means another 750,000 Arizonans will be eligible for vaccines.
Maricopa County officials said they will not be able to give out vaccines until they receive more doses.
That means the only places people between the ages of 65 and 74 can get a COVID-19 vaccine are the state-run sites at State Farm Stadium and, starting on Feb. 1, Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
State Farm Stadium will continue to operate at full capacity through the end of February providing the Pfizer vaccine.
State Farm Stadium will continue to operate around the clock, while Phoenix Municipal Stadium will only operate during daytime hours.
Arizona also activated the CDC’s Retail Pharmacy Program, which will add up to 100 pharmacies providing vaccines over the next few weeks.
When the program is fully activated, more than 800 pharmacies will have the COVID-19 vaccine available in Arizona.
The department said the biggest limiting factor on appointments is the limited supply of vaccine doses.
Arizona gets weekly allocations from the federal government, which then determines how many appointments can be offered.
February appointments for those state-run locations will open at 9 a.m. Tuesday. You can sign up for a vaccine here or call 1-844-542-8201.
Maricopa County identifies correct phone number for tech support
Maricopa County Public Health officials identified the correct contact information for anyone who is experiencing technical difficulties while signing up for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
There are instructions on the state website and people can call 602-542-1000 or email podvaccine-triage@azdhs.gov for technical support.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has also provided this number for tech support: 480-573-0332.
Officials said "volunteers and staff are fielding hundreds of calls and are not helping schedule appointments or providing tech support for the ADHS Vaccine Management portal."
Mohave County expands COVID-19 vaccines to 75 and older
Mohave County health care providers and facilities are offering COVID-19 vaccines to people 75 years and older.
All locations require appointments to be set up online or by phone.
Military nurses, tests coming to help hard-hit Arizona city
Exhausted nurses in rural Yuma, Arizona, are regularly sending COVID-19 patients on a long helicopter ride to hospitals in Phoenix when they don’t have enough staff.
The so-called winter lettuce capital of the U.S. also has lagged on coronavirus testing in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods and just ran out of vaccines.
But some support is coming from military nurses and a new wave of free tests for farmworkers and the elderly in Yuma County, which is the hardest-hit county in one of the hardest-hit states.
The area's only acute care hospital has no other facility to turn to nearby as it competes for medical workers nationwide.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 96 new cases, 4 more deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 96 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and four more deaths as of Sunday.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 26,383.
The total number of deaths is now 919 as of Sunday.
Reports indicate that 13,531 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 222,707 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
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 Monday
There have been 679,282 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,265 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 673,882 confirmed cases and 11,266 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 5,400 new cases reported on Monday, a decrease from the 6,981 new cases reported on Sunday.
There were zero new deaths reported on Monday, a decrease from the 18 new deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 11,749 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 11,424 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, 15,100 new tests were reported on Monday, a decrease from the 18,754 new tests reported on Sunday.
There have been a total of 3,630,792 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Monday.
13.8% of those tests have been positive as of Monday, an increase from 13.7% on Sunday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 421,551
- Pima: 90,765
- Pinal: 36,888
- Coconino: 14,066
- Navajo: 13,494
- Apache: 8,674
- Mohave: 16,816
- La Paz: 2,042
- Yuma: 33,163
- Graham: 4,382
- Cochise: 9,643
- Santa Cruz: 7,066
- Yavapai: 14,839
- Gila: 5,410
- Greenlee: 483
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.
