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, Oct. 27.
Major updates:
- There have been 240,122 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,891 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.
- Banner Health says hospital capacity remains adequate despite surge in cases
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Tuesday
There have been 240,122 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,891 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 238,964 confirmed cases and 5,875 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
A week ago, there were 232,937 cases and 5,837 deaths reported in Arizona.
The Arizona Department of Health Services released a video on Tuesday where ADHS Director Cara Christ detailed the latest on COVID-19 in Arizona and the actions the state is taking. The video (below) was produced by ADHS.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 27 de octubre: 1,157 casos nuevos y 16 decesos se reportan el martes
1,157 new cases, 16 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,157 new cases and 16 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 1.10 on Monday, the same as 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 5,460 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 100 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.
Banner Health reports adequate hospital capacity, staffing
Banner Health, Arizona's largest health system says despite COVID-19 spreading at its fastest rate since June, its hospitals have adequate capacity to care for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.
As COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased in recent weeks, Banner has started to reopen some of its respiratory cohort units that had closed after the June and July surge.
Additionally, Banner reports staffing needs are being met and its inventory of supplies is adequate with no shortages currently reported.
Banner says it is offering 4,000 appointments for COVID-19 tests per week and is currently booking 25% of those appointments. Those appointments are available at Banner's drive-thru COVID-19 testing location at the Arizona State Fairgrounds for those with COVID-19 symptoms or concerns of exposure.
Appointments are required by calling 1-844-549-1851 or scheduling online here.
Arizona officials say Tuesday last day to mail ballots
Arizona voters who have mail-in ballots still sitting on their kitchen table are being advised to put them in the mail by Tuesday if they want assurances they’ll make it to county election officials by Election Day.
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs says ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 to be counted.
There’s no postage required for early ballots.
After Tuesday, voters are urged to drop their ballots off at an official drop box, county recorders office or a polling place.
Locations can be found on the Arizona.vote website.
An historic number of early ballots have already been returned.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Arizona school district cancels all in-person classes
The Gila Bend Unified School District announced that it would cancel all in-person classes through next Friday.
The announcement came on Tuesday, after district officials said they confirmed two positive COVID-19 cases among students on Friday afternoon.
District officials stressed that confirming cases "is a detailed process and takes time-contact, discussions, evidence, and reporting," according to their website.
Officials are also investigating other rumors and concerns. The students that tested positive ranged in grades from elementary to high school.
The areas that those students were in have been cleaned.
In-person classes were canceled from Tuesday to Nov. 6. All students would participate in remote learning.
Scottsdale strip club ordered to close for violating COVID-19 guidelines
A strip club in Scottsdale was ordered to close on Monday for allegedly violating COVID-19 guidelines that are required by the state.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said Skin Cabaret was ordered to close indefinitely until the department would allow it to reopen.
According to the notice posted by the state, Skin Cabaret was allegedly "jeopardizing the health, safety, and welfare of the public."
Skin Cabaret is located near Scottsdale and McDowell roads.
Navajo Nation: No new COVID-19 deaths for 7th day in a row
Navajo Nation health officials are reporting 63 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, but no additional deaths for the seventh consecutive day.
The latest figures released Monday bring the total number of cases to nearly 11,362 with the known death toll remaining at 574.
Tribal health officials say 121,827 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started.
In that same time, nearly 7,500 have recovered.
A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.
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:
- 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 240,122 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,891 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 238,964 confirmed cases and 5,875 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
There were 1,157 new cases reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 801 reported on Monday.
There were 16 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the one reported on Monday.
There were 5,460 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 100 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 11,941 new tests were reported on Tuesday, an increase from the 9,201 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 2,040,792 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
9.7% 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: 155,458
- Pima: 27,703
- Pinal: 11,832
- Coconino: 5,121
- Navajo: 6,307
- Apache: 3,890
- Mohave: 4,313
- La Paz: 616
- Yuma: 13,670
- Graham: 1,162
- Cochise: 2,125
- Santa Cruz: 2,995
- Yavapai: 2,919
- Gila: 1,907
- Greenlee: 103
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.
