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Coronavirus in Arizona on March 22: Arizona expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older

There have been 836,737 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.

PHOENIX — Editor's note: Here's the live blog for March 23.

12 News continues to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak and vaccination efforts in Arizona with our daily live blog.

Here is the live blog for Monday, March 22.

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

Major updates: 

  • There have been 836,737 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.
  • There have been 2,904,159 total vaccines administered 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.
  • Arizonans 16 and older can register for COVID-19 vaccine at state-run sites starting Wednesday

COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Monday

There have been 836,737 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.

That's an increase from the 836,253 confirmed cases and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.

A week ago, there were 833,381 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,553 deaths reported in Arizona.

LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 22 de marzo: 484 nuevos casos, ninguna muerte se reporta el lunes

484 new cases, 0 new deaths reported Monday

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 484 new cases and zero new deaths on Monday.

The numbers reported on Mondays are typically the lowest of the week due to possible reporting lags over the weekend.

Monday was also the 10th day in a row that the department reported less than 1,000 new cases each day. 

But the number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. 

State health officials said the number of confirmed or suspected coronavirus hospitalized patients around Arizona decreased to 647 on Sunday. In addition, the number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients fell to 180.

Arizona has administered 2,904,159 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Monday.

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 were 12,411 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 Jan. 5, with 11,766 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 173 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 169 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 16,000 coronavirus deaths on on March 2, 15,000 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.

St. Mary's Food Bank employees to receive COVID-19 vaccine

St. Mary’s Food Bank employees will receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

The employees will get a Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. 

There are nearly 200 employees and some long-time volunteers who will be eligible for the shots.

Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.

MORE: 12News.com/Vaccine

Arizonans 16 and older can register for COVID-19 vaccine at state-run sites starting Wednesday

Arizonans aged 16 and older will be able to register for a COVID-19 vaccine starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, it was announced Monday. 

Registration at the state-operated COVID-19 vaccination sites in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties will be open to all Arizonans ages 16 and older.

Anyone looking to book a vaccination appointment can do so at the Arizona Department of Health Services' website

This new age group can only book at the state-run sites in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties: State Farm Stadium in the West Valley, Chandler-Gilbert Community College in the East Valley, Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, University of Arizona's campus in Tucson and the Yuma Civic Center.

The department will open new appointments at 11 a.m. each Friday for those sites. 

Maricopa County will also open vaccine appointments to all residents aged 18 and older for those receiving the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 16 and older for the those receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

You can go to 12News.com/Vaccine for more information. 

RELATED: Arizonans 16 and older can register for COVID-19 vaccine at state-run sites starting Wednesday

Navajo Nation reports 9 new cases, no recent deaths

The Navajo Nation has reported nine new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths, pushing the total number of cases since the pandemic past 30,000. 

The latest numbers released Sunday bring the tribe’s pandemic total to 30,0007 confirmed cases. 

The number of known deaths remains 1,233. 

The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening last week with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions. 

Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain. 

Tribal President Jonathan Nez reiterated in a statement the importance of getting vaccinated. 

However, he says those who are vaccinated should not take vacations or hold large in-person gatherings with the ongoing spread of COVID-19 variants.

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 2.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Monday.

Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?

The state and Maricopa County has expanded vaccine eligibility to Arizonans 16 and older. Other counties are 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:

“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 Monday

There have been 836,737 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.

That's an increase from the 836,253 confirmed cases and 16,745 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.

There were 484 new cases reported on Monday, a decrease from the 488 new cases reported on Sunday. 

There were zero new deaths reported on Monday, a decrease from the 12 new deaths reported on Sunday.

There were 12,411 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 Jan. 5, with 11,766 cases. That is subject to change.

Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 173 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 169 people died. That is subject to change.

In total, 20,904 new diagnostic tests were reported on Monday, a decrease from the 31,193 new tests reported on Sunday.

There have been a total of 8,342,836 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Monday. 

11% of those tests have been positive as of Monday, the same since March 13.

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

  • Maricopa: 521,585
  • Pima: 111,912
  • Pinal: 48,840
  • Coconino: 16,956
  • Navajo: 15,599
  • Apache: 10,772
  • Mohave: 21,938
  • La Paz: 2,430
  • Yuma: 36,694
  • Graham: 5,348
  • Cochise: 11,543
  • Santa Cruz: 7,761
  • Yavapai: 18,299
  • Gila: 6,497
  • Greenlee: 563

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.

For the latest news about COVID-19, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus, watch our 12 News YouTube Playlist here.

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