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 Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Major updates:
- There have been 218,184 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,632 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
- 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 Tuesday
There have been 218,184 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,632 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 217,510 cases and 5,623 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Monday.
A week ago, there were 214,846 cases and 5,498 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 29 de septiembre: 675 casos nuevos y 9 decesos se reportan el martes
675 new cases, 9 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 675 new cases and nine new deaths on Tuesday.
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 0.90 on Sunday.
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 5,467 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths were July 16 and 17, when 98 people died each day. 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.
2 students in Mesa test positive for COVID
In a letter, Mountain View High School leaders said two students recently tested positive for COVID-19.
One of the students was last on campus on Friday Sept. 25.
Students who were in close contact with the two students will be notified by the school.
"While the Maricopa County Department of Health (MCDPH) labels this case as an outbreak, we believe that your child’s exposure risk is low because of the safety protocols we have in place, including face masks and physical distancing," the letter said.
The school said they are following all recommendations from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health to stop the spread of COVID.
"Mountain View is committed to implementing measures to protect attendees and staff from exposure to COVID-19 and to make sure you have all the information you need to make informed decisions about your child’s health," the letter said.
Arizona schools chief calls for transparency, communication regarding COVID-19 cases
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said in a statement on Monday that school leaders "should prioritize consistent and transparent communication" regarding COVID-19 cases in schools.
You can read the full statement below:
"With the genuine fear about COVID-19 present in our communities, transparency is key to maintaining trust with our educators, students, and families. I have heard from many individuals that they are alarmed to hear about positive cases in their schools through the grapevine. And while we can’t control every rumor that goes through a school, we – as school leaders – should prioritize consistent and transparent communication.
"Having detailed communications protocols in place – and making them publicly available – can help provide some level of certainty in these very uncertain times. I encourage all school leaders to utilize the Roadmap for Reopening Schools, particularly the sections on communication procedures and emergency preparedness, to ensure that the communities we serve feel confident in our ability to be focused on transparency and safety."
ASU investigating Greek life over possible COVID-19 violations
Arizona State University officials are investigating Greek life on its campus over concerns that the student groups violated COVID-19 protocols.
Navajo Nation reports 22 new cases, no new deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 22 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 10,312.
The total number of deaths remains 555 as previously reported on Sunday.
Reports indicate that 7,253 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 105,451 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.
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.
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 Tuesday
There have been 218,184 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,632 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 217,510 cases and 5,623 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Monday.
There were 675 new cases reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 273 reported on Monday.
There was nine deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the one reported on Monday.
There were 5,467 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths were July 16 and 17, when 98 people died each day. That is subject to change.
In total, 5,098 new tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 6,368 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 1,746,088 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
10.4% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, the same as Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 141,738
- Pima: 25,569
- Pinal: 10,627
- Coconino: 4,133
- Navajo: 5,783
- Apache: 3,528
- Mohave: 3,997
- La Paz: 545
- Yuma: 12,723
- Graham: 843
- Cochise: 1,905
- Santa Cruz: 2,848
- Yavapai: 2,558
- Gila: 1,328
- 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.
