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, March 1.
LEER EN ESPAÑOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 1ro de marzo: 1,039 nuevos casos, ninguna muerte se reporta el lunes
Major updates:
- There have been 817,821 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,979 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.
- There have been 1,776,617 total vaccines administered as of Sunday.
- 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 open another state-run COVID-19 vaccination site
Vaccine appointments at Chandler-Gilbert Community College fully booked
The new vaccine appointments opened at 9 a.m this morning at the Chandler-Gilbert Community College vaccine site have been fully booked, the Arizona Department of Health Services said.
The department tweeted the news within an hour and a half of when the appointments opened up for people to schedule.
1,039 new cases, no new deaths reported Monday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,039 new cases and -1 deaths on Monday.
The department removed a death from the state's total count due to their death certificate matching process.
Arizona has administered 1,776,617 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Sunday.
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 177 hospitalizations per 1 million in Arizona as of Sunday, according to The COVID Tracking Project. You can find more data from the project here.
There were 12,187 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 11,640 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 169 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 164 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 to open another state-run COVID-19 vaccination site
The Arizona Department of Health Services will open a state-operated COVID-19 vaccination site at the Chandler-Gilbert Community College in the East Valley.
It will begin operating as a state-run location on March 3. Appointments for first and second doses will open for registration at 9 a.m. March 1.
“We’re committed to making the COVID-19 vaccine accessible to all Arizonans. Keeping this successful vaccination site open and operating is an important step,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement.
“Arizona has called on the federal government to provide our state with more vaccine doses. As more supply becomes available, we’ll be ready to administer the vaccine and protect Arizonans.”
The vaccination site at Chandler-Gilbert Community College used to be run by Maricopa County, which announced it would be closed next week.
The department said it has worked with partner organizations to develop a plan to keep the location open.
Dignity Health, which currently manages the site with Maricopa County, will close its operations after Feb. 27, and the department will reopen it four days later.
At full capacity, the department said the site will have a similar capacity to State Farm Stadium at 12,000 vaccines per day and can be operated 24/7.
Due to the limited amount of vaccine allocated to the state, this site will initially operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will continue to provide the Pfizer vaccine.
You can make an appointment here.
RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Chandler-Gilbert Community College to open at 9 AM Monday
State adopts hybrid approach to provide 55 and older vaccine eligibility along with frontline essential workers
Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) announced Monday a new hybrid approach that provides Arizonans 55 and older eligibility along with frontline essential workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The new approach launched Monday in the Phoenix area.
Arizona will continue its age-based approach to administering the vaccine. The new hybrid approach will ensure the distribution of vaccine doses to individuals at high risk of severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death, from COVID-19 due to age while allowing local health departments to prioritize frontline essential workers through employer-based vaccination strategies.
“This critical update provides more clarity for Arizonans and will result in rapid administration of vaccine to our most vulnerable populations,” said Governor Ducey.
Ninety percent of Arizona’s deaths from COVID-19 have been among those 55 and older, according to state officials. Approximately 65 percent of those hospitalized due to COVID-19 are in that age group.
Including adults 55 and older in the vaccine prioritization category will cover between 56 and 66 percent of Arizonans with medical conditions that place them at severe risk for adverse outcomes due to COVID-19, according to a statement from the state.
“As more vaccine reaches Arizona, we will continue refining our plan to maximize the benefits of this still-limited resource,” said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. “Moving to a hybrid approach will allow us to rapidly and efficiently administer the vaccine and provide all Arizonans with a clearer estimate of when they will be eligible to be vaccinated.”
ADHS will open about 50,000 vaccination appointments at State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium at noon on Tuesday Mach 2, to those 55 and older for appointments starting March 4.
Adults 55 and older will also be able to schedule appointments at pharmacies and federally qualified health centers participating in the federal vaccination programs.
Those in groups prioritized for vaccination can register for appointments at State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and multiple other vaccination sites at podvaccine.azdhs.gov/. Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
Those without computer access or needing extra help registering can call 1-844-542-8201 to be connected with someone who can assist.
Welcome back: Optimism abounds as MLB's spring includes fans
The sun and the baseball have returned to Arizona and Florida for spring training games, which began on Sunday.
So have the fans.
All 30 teams in Major League Baseball are allowing fans to return to spring training in a limited capacity amid declining COVID-19 case numbers.
The safety protocols in Scottsdale for a Rockies-Diamondbacks game were similar to other sports like basketball and hockey.
Fans are spread out in pods around the park and masks are worn.
The Cactus League hopes that allowing some fans back in the parks will help boost the local economy, which usually does big business during spring training season.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 14 new cases, 2 more deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 14 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and two more deaths on Sunday.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 29,740, including seven delayed reported cases.
The total number of deaths is now 1,170 as of Sunday.
Reports indicate that 16,097 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 244,229 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
Here is the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services said more than 1.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Sunday.
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 four locations where the state is administering vaccines: State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Chandler-Gilbert Community College 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:
- 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 817,821 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,979 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 816,782 confirmed cases and 15,980 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 1,039 new cases reported on Monday, a decrease from the 1,075 new cases reported on Sunday.
There were no new deaths reported on Monday, a decrease from the 13 new deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 12,184 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 11,642 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 169 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 164 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 7,245 new tests were reported on Monday, a decrease from the 11,683 new tests reported on Sunday.
There have been a total of 4,204,508 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Monday.
14.1% of those tests have been positive as of Monday, a decrease from 14.2% on Sunday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 511,055
- Pima: 109,601
- Pinal: 46,233
- Coconino: 16,579
- Navajo: 15,647
- Apache: 10,464
- Mohave: 21,218
- La Paz: 2,399
- Yuma: 36,445
- Graham: 5,293
- Cochise: 11,229
- Santa Cruz: 7,632
- Yavapai: 17,062
- Gila: 6,405
- Greenlee: 559
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.
Watch more videos featuring the latest news about COVID-19 in Arizona, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus, in our 12 News YouTube Playlist here.