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COVID-19 PANDEMIC
County COVID-19 benchmarks move upward; cases in Goodyear surpass 3,000
Posted
Independent Newsmedia
Maricopa County COVID-19 reopening benchmark data continued moving in the wrong direction this week, as cases in Goodyear surpassed the 3,000 mark.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported the number of COVID-19 cases in Goodyear’s 85338 and 85395 ZIP codes was 3,066 as of Friday, Oct. 23, a 3.02% increase over last Friday and a 0.39% increase over Thursday. That represents an increase of 90 new cases over the week and 12 cases overnight.
The number of new weekly cases in Goodyear have risen steadily since Sept. 25, when 31 new cases were reported. For more details, read that story here.
The agency said more than 90% of cases were mapped to the address of the patient’s residence:
Goodyear total
Cases as of Oct. 16: 2,976 Cases as of Oct. 17: 2,990 Cases as of Oct. 18: 3,000 Cases as of Oct. 19: 3,013 Cases as of Oct. 20: 3,024 Cases as of Oct. 21: 3,033 Cases as of Oct. 22: 3,054 Cases as of Oct. 23: 3,066
85338 ZIP code
Cases as of Oct. 16: 1,924 Cases as of Oct. 17: 1,932 Cases as of Oct. 18: 1,941 Cases as of Oct. 19: 1,950 Cases as of Oct. 20: 1,958 Cases as of Oct. 21: 1,964 Cases as of Oct. 22: 1,972 Cases as of Oct. 23: 1,980
85395 ZIP code
Cases as of Oct. 16: 1,052 Cases as of Oct. 17: 1,058 Cases as of Oct. 18: 1,059 Cases as of Oct. 19: 1,063 Cases as of Oct. 20: 1,066 Cases as of Oct. 21: 1,069 Cases as of Oct. 22: 1,082 Cases as of Oct. 23: 1,086
ADHS tracks the level of community transmission of COVID-19 as part of its three benchmarks for business and school reopenings, updating its benchmarks data dashboard on Thursdays.
The benchmarks — number of cases per 100,000 people, percent positivity of tests and percentage of people hospitalized with COVID-like illnesses — are divided into three categories: substantial, moderate and minimal.
Substantial transmission: more than 100 cases per 100,000 people, 10% or higher test positivity and more than 10% hospitalizations. Moderate transmission: 10 to 100 cases per 100,000 people, 5% to 10% test positivity and 5% to 10% hospitalizations. Minimal transmission: Fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people, less than 5% test positivity and fewer than 5% hospitalizations.
Figures are about 12 days old to allow for lags in reporting, ADHS states on the website. All three benchmarks must be met for 14 days to move from a higher transmission phase to a lower one.
Per ADHS, if community transmission is substantial, bars and nightclubs, gyms and fitness center, water parks and tube operators must remain closed.
If transmission is moderate, bars and nightclubs providing dine-in services, movie theaters, water parks and tube operators can operate at 50% capacity. Gyms and fitness centers can operate at 25% capacity. Bars and nightclubs that do not serve food cannot reopen.
If transmission is minimal, all bars and nightclubs, movie theaters, water parks, tube operators, gyms and fitness centers can operate at 50% capacity if the percent positivity is below 3%.
Benchmarks for schools
There are two main components for reopening Arizona schools for in-person instruction: quality of the school’s mitigation plan, or how it will minimize the spread of COVID-19; and the degree of community transmission outlined above.
AZDHS recommended that county-specific public health benchmarks fall within the moderate or minimal spread category in all three benchmarks for two weeks to provide hybrid learning (some students in physical buildings and some students distance learning), specifically:
A two-week decline in the number of cases or two weeks with new case rates below 100 per 100,000 threshold
Two weeks with less than 7% test positivity
Two weeks with less than 10% COVID-like illness hospitalizations
As of Oct. 23, the state reported the following in Maricopa County:
Countywide cases: 152,695 (148,612 last Friday); 594 new from the previous day (460 new last Friday) Rate of cases per 100,000 people: 3,495.9 (3,402.4 last Friday) Deaths: 3,536 (3,500 last Friday); zero new since the previous day (11 new last Friday) Fatality rate per 100,000 people: 80.96 (80.13 last Friday) Number of tests conducted: 1,201,968 (1,154,323 last Friday); 7,753 new from the previous day (6,069 new last Friday) Test positivity: 10.8% (11.0% last Friday)
To view the data dashboard and statewide information on cases by age, ethnicity and gender; hospital and ventilator usage and availability, and hospital-specific COVID-19 metrics, click here.