Maricopa County Public Health
COVID-19 Response Summary

Report for March 4, 2020

This is a rapidly-evolving situation.
Information in this report is accurate as of the time sent.

COVID-19 Cases
As of 3/4/2020 at 4:00pm
County and National Totals
Maricopa County Cases*

2
Maricopa County Deaths

0
US Cases

129
US Deaths

11
*1 Confirmed County case has since tested negative multiple times and been released from isolation
COVID-19 - This Week in Review
Maricopa County

  • MCDPH has been in touch with contacts of this case. All close contacts are voluntarily quarantining themselves at home.

  • This case was exposed to a confirmed case from another state, and does not represent community spread in Maricopa County.

  • There is no community spread of COVID-19 in Maricopa County yet.

  • Until commercial laboratory testing for COVID-19 becomes widely available, MCDPH is recommending that healthcare providers call Public Health to inquire about COVID-19 testing for patients based on the Persons Under Investigation criteria, which includes patients with severe symptoms, travel to affected regions, and contact with a known case.

  • MCDPH is working closely with ADHS to redistribute stockpile personal protective equipment to healthcare providers based on priority and proximity.


  • MCDPH provided guidance to the Maricopa County recorder to prepare for the upcoming presidential preferential election and prevent spread of illness.


  • Situation update for municipality leadership and staff was distributed and can be found here.

  • Situation update for school staff and parents was distributed and can be found here.

  • New guidance for healthcare has been updated and is available here.

What's New Nationally
  • President Trump put Mike Pence in charge of the COVID-19 response and Mike Pence appointed Dr. Deborah Birx as COVID-19 response coordinator.

  • Community spread of COVID-19 is being detected in a growing number of countries, including in parts of the United States. Visit CDC for updated case information.

  • During the week of February 23, CDC reported community spread of COVID-19 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Community spread in Washington resulted in the first death in the United States from COVID-19, as well as the first reported case of COVID-19 in a healthcare worker, and the first outbreak in a long-term care facility.

  • On March 4, the House of Representatives passed a roughly $8 billion emergency funding bill to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • Travelers returning from countries with a Level 3 CDC travel advisory are being requested to stay at home for 14 days after return to the US.

  • CDC, with state and local health departments, is conducting surveillance in 6 cities to detect community spread, but this is not occurring in every city and state.
Looking Ahead

  • MCDPH is looking into alternative options to increase COVID-19 testing capacity.

  • In partnership with TGEN, MCDPH is monitoring for increases in influenza-like illness through existing influenza surveillance systems to look for possible community spread of COVID-19.

  • MCDPH will continue to update the public as more testing sites become available and more is learned about the virus.

  • MCDPH is shifting resources that were focused on returning travelers to assisting providers with diagnosis/testing and contact investigations of cases. Returning travelers will be contacted through automated phone outreach.

  • MCDPH is updating its COVID-19 webpage to be more population specific.

  • MCDPH will provide childcare with situation update and guidance.
General Information About COVID-19
What We Know
  • The virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified and causes a respiratory illness ranging from a mild cold-like illness to severe pneumonia.

  • Most (81%) of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in China had mild disease.

  • Similar to influenza, the people who are most likely to have severe disease and complications from COVID-19 are older individuals (>60 years old) and those with other medical conditions like heart and lung disease or diabetes.

  • Although the reported death rates for COVID-19 are 2.3%, these estimates are based only on confirmed cases. World Health Organization, along with international experts, estimates mortality that takes into account people who have mild illness and are not diagnosed with COVID-19 to be 0.3-1%, which is very similar to influenza (0.1-0.2%).

  • The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community ("community spread") in some affected geographical areas. The CDC lists areas where community spread is occurring.
Coronavirus structure
image source:
How COVID-19 Spreads
  • COVID-19 is believed to spread mainly the same way the common cold or flu spreads--through respiratory droplets that are produced when someone coughs or sneezes. 

  • People who are most at risk becoming infected with COVID-19 are those who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) with someone who has the disease.  

  • People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).

  • Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms; there have been reports of this with COVID-19, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
Respiratory droplets from a sneeze
Image source:
How infectious is COVID-19?
Experts estimate that for every person infected with COVID-19, between 2 and 3.5 people will become infected. 

This is more infectious than novel influenza A (H1N1 in 2009), for which 1 person with the disease was estimated to infect about 1-2 people.

However, COVID-19 is much less infectious than diseases like mumps or measles, where one case of illness can lead to 10-15 people getting infected.

For a comparison of infectious rates, see the full version of the graphic at right at Vox.com .
What We Don't Know
  • There is no vaccine or treatment currently available for COVID-19, but NIH is evaluating antiviral treatments currently.

  • We don’t know when COVID-19 will start to spread in Maricopa County.

  • We don’t know when there will be a vaccine available for COVID-19, but clinical trials have already begun and it could be as soon as 12-18 months from now.
What can you do to protect yourself
and your family from COVID-19?
  • Stay home when ill.

  • Call your healthcare provider before going in to avoid spreading illness to others in the waiting room.

  • Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and dispose of tissues in the trash.

  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

  • Avoid touching your mouth and nose to keep germs from entering your body.
Washing hands
Image source:
Planning Ahead
For Individuals
  • Have a plan for someone to care for your child (children) if they become ill and need to stay home from school.

  • Talk to your employer about ways to work from home if you become ill so you can stay home and away from others.


For Organizations
  • Discuss a continuity of operations plan that allows employees to telework.

  • Find alternatives to in-person meetings such as meetings with video or telephone conferences.

  • Encourage surface cleaning measures for frequently touched surfaces like light switches, door knobs and faucets.

  • Ensure soap, hand sanitizer and tissues are available.

Useful Links
(Accurate as of 3/4/2020)

Feel free to share these links with staff, partners, and clients
Still have questions? Email: