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 Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Major updates:
- There have been 241,165 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,905 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- 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 Wednesday
There have been 241,165 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,905 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 240,122 confirmed cases and 5,891 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 233,912 cases and 5,854 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 28 de octubre: 1,044 casos nuevos y 14 decesos se reportan el miércoles
1,044 new cases, 14 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,044 new cases and 14 new deaths on Wednesday.
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.
Trump, Biden campaigns to make stops in Arizona on Wednesday
Both the Trump and Biden campaigns will make stops in Arizona on Wednesday, less than a week before Election Day.
President Donald Trump will host two rallies on Wednesday, one in Bullhead City and the other in Goodyear.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will also travel to Phoenix and Tucson on Wednesday.
Fountain Hills High School to close for 14 days due to COVID-19 exposure
Fountain Hills High School officials said the school will be closed for two weeks due to a "COVID related issue on a campus," according to a letter sent to parents on Wednesday.
"Due to the number (of) students who have been in direct contact with a person who has tested positive, we feel this decision is in the best interest of our students," Principal Kris Alexander said in the letter.
"All students must quarantine for the next 14 days. All extra curricular activities are also canceled for the next 14 days."
The district said in a letter to parents on Tuesday that an unidentified number of students may have been exposed to COVID-19 during an out-of-district event.
The letter also said that none of the students who attended the event had shown symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Remote learning will begin Thursday. Students could return to campus November 12.
The Arizona Department of Health Services recently revised its guidance for when school districts should close classrooms.
If all three county benchmarks – cases per capita, percent positivity and COVID-like illness hospitalizations - are in the “substantial spread” category, it’s recommended that schools stop in-person learning.
Group cancels Tucson Gem and Mineral Show due to pandemic
The most prominent exhibition of a collection of gem and mineral shows that normally draw thousands of visitors to Tucson every year has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show staged by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society was scheduled for January 2021.
Officials said they wanted to avoid helping spread the coronavirus.
Other promoters stage gem and mineral events in Tucson during the same period.
In other developments, the state on Wednesday reported 1,044 additional known COVID-19 cases with 14 additional deaths and the Tucson Unified School District has decided to reopen schools for hybrid instruction beginning Nov. 12.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
UArizona canceling in-person classes after Thanksgiving
The University of Arizona is canceling in-person classes after Thanksgiving.
CVS to expand COVID-19 testing services
CVS Health announced Wednesday that it would expand COVID-19 testing services to include more rapid-result testing locations.
Seven of those locations will be open this week in Maricopa County.
Rapid-result COVID-19 diagnostic tests are available at no cost to people who meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.
Patients must register in advance at CVS.com to schedule an appointment.
The testing process, from the collection of the swab to the delivery of the results, will take about 30 minutes.
The seven new locations are:
- 765 S. Lindsay Road, Gilbert
- 5975 West Chandler Boulevard, Chandler
- 2010 South Dobson Road, Chandler
- 2840 North Dysart Road, Goodyear
- 9950 East Guadalupe Road, Mesa
- 10707 West Camelback Road, Phoenix
- 28635 North Valley Parkway, Phoenix
Guidelines for keeping classrooms open during COVID-19 revised by ADHS
Arizona’s health department has revised its guidance for when school districts should close classrooms as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the state.
ADHS has changed its school district recommendations to close campuses and switch to remote learning based on its benchmark information.
If all three county benchmarks – cases per capita, percent positivity and COVID-like illness hospitalizations - are in the “substantial spread” category, it’s recommended that schools stop in-person learning.
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.
Navajo Nation reports 24 cases, 1st COVID-19 death in 8 days
Navajo Nation health officials on Tuesday reported 24 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death, the first after seven consecutive days of no reported deaths.
The latest figures bring the total number of cases to 11,386 and the known death toll to 575.
Tribal health officials say 122,240 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and 7,504 have recovered.
A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.
Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms with the coronavirus, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
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 Wednesday
There have been 241,165 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,905 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 240,122 confirmed cases and 5,891 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 1,044 new cases reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 1,157 reported on Tuesday.
There were 14 new deaths reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 16 reported on Tuesday.
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, 7,462 new tests were reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 11,941 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 2,048,252 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
9.7% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, the same since Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 155,951
- Pima: 27,962
- Pinal: 11,873
- Coconino: 5,165
- Navajo: 6,340
- Apache: 3,934
- Mohave: 4,340
- La Paz: 618
- Yuma: 13,689
- Graham: 1,185
- Cochise: 2,150
- Santa Cruz: 3,004
- Yavapai: 2,939
- Gila: 1,914
- Greenlee: 101
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.
