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, Jan. 19.
Major updates:
- There have been 685,699 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,266 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.
- 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 Tuesday
There have been 685,699 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,266 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 679,282 confirmed cases and 11,265 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
A week ago, there were 636,100 cases and 10,482 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 19 de enero: 6,417 nuevos casos, 1 muerte se reportan el martes
6,417 new cases, one new death reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 6,417 new cases and one new death on Tuesday.
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 1.04 on Monday, down from 1.05 on Saturday but still among only about a dozen states with an Rt greater than 1.
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 11,750 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 11,423 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.
75 Navajo Nation communities have uncontrolled COVID-19 spread, officials report
The Navajo Department of Health has added six communities to its list of 69 communities where the COVID-19 virus is spreading uncontrollably.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez also reminded residents that the nation's Public Health Emergency Order is still in effect through Jan. 25.
See the list of the communities and more details about the order here.
Arizona to expand COVID-19 vaccines to adults over 65 on Tuesday
Arizona will offer COVID-19 vaccine appointments at two state-run sites for adults 65 and older. Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
Chandler students, staff return to in-person classes
The Chandler Unified School District is returning to classrooms Tuesday after a delay due to COVID-19. Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
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 locations will open at 9 a.m. Tuesday. You can sign up for a vaccine here or call 1-844-542-8201.
UArizona students in dorms to get COVID-19 twice a week
University of Arizona officials said Tuesday that all students in dorms must take a COVID-19 test twice per week.
They should be taken at least 48 hours apart.
This is due to current community transmission and recent wastewater testing results.
Pima County is administering vaccines to people in Phase 1B. University of Arizona will be the designated distribution point starting this week.
Pinal County vaccinating people in Phases 1A, 1B.1
Pinal County health officials said Tuesday that they were vaccinating people in Phases 1A and 1B.1.
That is due to a limited vaccine supply, officials said.
Anyone in Phase 1B.2 could register for a COVID-19 vaccine through the state.
They could register online at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or by calling 1-844-542-8201 or 211.
Yuma County to begin vaccinating residents
Yuma County health officials announced they received COVID-19 vaccines and will begin distributing them.
They will get 6,900 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. 4,500 of those doses are being allocated to health partners.
Those partners will provide first and second doses in our community for Phase 1A and prioritized Phase 1B individuals, including educators, law enforcement and people 65 and older.
You can find more information here.
Blue Ridge students to return in person
Students and staff in the Blue Ridge School District in Pinetop-Lakeside will return to the classroom on Jan. 15.
Grades K-6 will attend school in person Monday through Thursday at the regularly scheduled time.
Grades 7-12 will remain on the same hybrid schedule. Hybrid classes for last names of A-K will attend Monday and Wednesday and L-Z will attend Tuesday and Thursday.
All students are remote on Fridays.
Sheriff: Tucson inmate hospitalized with COVID-19 dies
An Arizona inmate who was hospitalized with COVID-19 has died.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says the 70-year-old inmate died Monday.
Deputy James T. Allerton said the sheriff’s department is not releasing the inmate’s name yet but says he had long-term preexisting medical conditions.
The inmate had been in medical isolation at the county jail in Tucson since testing positive on Dec. 30.
He was hospitalized Jan. 10 for more treatment and evaluation.
Allerton says the inmate had been in jail since December 2018 on charges of probation violation, child molestation, sexual abuse and kidnapping.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 65 new cases, 3 more deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 65 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and three more deaths on Monday.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 26,448.
The total number of deaths is now 922 as of Monday.
Reports indicate that 13,532 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 223,323 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 Tuesday
There have been 685,699 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,266 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 679,282 confirmed cases and 11,265 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
There were 6,417 new cases reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 5,400 new cases reported on Monday.
There was one new death reported on Tuesday, an increase from the zero new deaths reported on Monday.
There were 11,750 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 11,423 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, 13,222 new tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 15,100 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 3,644,016 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
13.8% 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: 425,844
- Pima: 91,740
- Pinal: 37,135
- Coconino: 14,196
- Navajo: 13,548
- Apache: 8,705
- Mohave: 16,899
- La Paz: 2,049
- Yuma: 33,447
- Graham: 4,417
- Cochise: 9,691
- Santa Cruz: 7,104
- Yavapai: 14,989
- Gila: 5,448
- Greenlee: 487
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.
