x
Breaking News
More () »

Coronavirus in Arizona on Oct. 2: 551 new cases, 19 new deaths reported Friday

There have been 219,763 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,693 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.

PHOENIX — 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 Friday, Oct. 2.

Major updates: 

  • There have been 219,763 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,693 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
  • President Donald Trump says he and First Lady Melania Trump both have COVID-19
  • 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.
  • Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.

COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Friday

There have been 219,763 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,693 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.

That is an increase from 219,212 cases and 5,674 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.

A week ago, there were 215,852 cases and 5,559 deaths reported in Arizona.

551 new cases, 19 new deaths reported Friday

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 551 new cases and 19 new deaths on Friday.

Arizona reached 200,000 coronavirus cases on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 5,000 coronavirus deaths 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 1.04 on Wednesday, up from 1.03 on Tuesday. 

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 5,461 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 99 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.

Trump says he, First Lady test positive for COVID-19

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president tweeted early Friday.

Trump’s positive test comes just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks came down with the virus after traveling with the president several times this week. 

Trump is 74 years old, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has now killed more than 200,000 people nationwide.

Trump announced late Thursday that he and first lady Melania Trump were beginning a “quarantine process” after Hicks came down with the virus, though it wasn’t clear what that entailed. 

It can take days for an infection to be detectable by a test.

RELATED: President Trump and first lady test positive for COVID-19

RELATED: Arizona politicians wish President Trump a quick recovery after COVID-19 diagnosis

All Arizona counties meet benchmarks for reopening some businesses

The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Thursday that all of the state's counties meet the benchmarks for safely reopening some businesses.

Businesses such as indoor gyms and fitness centers, bars serving food, and movie theaters that were ordered to close to slow the spread of COVID-19 were allowed to reopen Thursday. 

The department updated its dashboard on Thursday, showing that Graham County has advanced to the "moderate" transmission stage. Greenlee County is the only county that is in the "minimal" transmission stage. 

Those businesses have been ordered to close since June 27, when Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order. 

"Since this pause, Arizona has seen a decline in its cases and percent positivity, an increase in hospital capacity, and an improvement in other indicators," the department said in a press release.

The state’s plan for safely reopening these businesses requires that the three benchmarks on the department's business dashboard be met for 14 days, with a 12-day reporting lag, to move between transmission phases. 

The benchmarks are cases per 100,000 residents, percent positivity, and COVID-like illness as a percentage of hospitalizations.  

To reopen, these businesses must submit an online attestation stating they are in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. The businesses must post the attestation form where customers can see it. 

Additional details are available here.

Honeywell hiring 500 mask assemblers in October

Honeywell said it is looking to hire more than 500 assemblers in October. 

The company increased production of its N95 masks at its Phoenix facility in order to meet a growing demand in the U.S. 

The company said it has "aggressive timelines" to fill the positions, which will be full-time with benefits that start on the first day of employment. Entry-level starting pay is $16.50 an hour. 

Honeywell is set to hold a hiring event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. There will be computers available for people to apply on line and staff to meet in person with applicants. 

Job offers may be made on the spot.

Navajo Nation has no COVID-19 deaths for 3rd time this week

Navajo Nation health officials reported 13 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Thursday with no additional deaths for the third time this week.

The latest figures bring the total number of COVID-19 cases on the vast reservation to 10,369 with the known death toll remaining at 556. 

Tribal officials reported no deaths on Monday and Tuesday with just one death on Wednesday. 

They say 107,599 people have been tested for the coronavirus on the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and 7,262 have recovered. 

The Navajo Nation has implemented a stricter weekend lockdown as it looks into new clusters of coronavirus cases from family gatherings and off-reservation travel. 

The above article is from The Associated Press. 

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.

RELATED: Arizona’s health department wants you to report businesses that don’t enforce safety requirements

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 Friday

There have been 219,763 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,693 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.

That is an increase from 219,212 cases and 5,674 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.

There were 551 new cases reported on Friday, a decrease from the 705 reported on Thursday. 

There were 19 deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 24 reported on Thursday.

There were 5,461 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 99 people died. That is subject to change.

In total, 7,920 new tests were reported on Friday, a decrease from the 14,876 new tests reported on Thursday.

There have been a total of 1,773,468 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday. 

10.3% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, down from 10.4% on Thursday.

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

  • Maricopa: 142,566
  • Pima: 25,784
  • Pinal: 10,685
  • Coconino: 4,230
  • Navajo: 5,810
  • Apache: 3,573
  • Mohave: 4,033
  • La Paz: 548
  • Yuma: 12,796
  • Graham: 869
  • Cochise: 1,918
  • Santa Cruz: 2,877
  • Yavapai: 2,590
  • Gila: 1,425
  • Greenlee: 59

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.

Before You Leave, Check This Out