We know that, especially early on in the pandemic, not everyone who was infected was tested. We also know that around 40% of people infected with COVID-19 never develop symptoms and may not be included in our case counts.  By testing a small number of households in targeted communities for antibodies (a “serosurvey”), we can get a better estimate of how many people throughout our county have been infected with COVID-19 at some point.  

The communities being surveyed were picked intentionally, in partnership with the CDC, to provide a sample that represents all of Maricopa County.  Getting enough people from every selected community helps us estimate what is happening in our county as a whole.

Getting a flu shot is more important than ever this year, and for the best protection, you’ll want to get your vaccine before the end of October. 

We have a list of community flu vaccine events available at Maricopa.gov/flu.  Can’t find one that fits your schedule?  Use this Vaccine Finder tool for even more options.

Public Health also offers free flu shots for anyone 6 months through 18 years of age at three childhood immunization clinics around Maricopa County.  Please call ahead to schedule an appointment.

Our health care workers have given their all during the pandemic.  Let’s help them out by doing what we can to keep COVID-19 and flu numbers as low as possible.  In addition to getting your flu shot, you can continue with the preventive measures that have helped bring our COVID-19 numbers down: stay home when you’re sick and whenever possible; keep six feet of distance from others; wear masks; avoid large groups; and practice good hygiene.

Maricopa County Public Health tracks and shares a lot of data related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but you may have questions about where to find some of that information.  Here are three useful tools:

Maricopa County data dashboard

• Daily case counts and total case counts
• % of deaths, hospitalizations, intensive care visits
• Demographics
• Long-term care facility outbreaks
• School outbreaks
• Epi curve

Maricopa County school reopening dashboard

• Cases per 100,000
• % of positive COVID-19 tests
• % of COVID-like illness

*This dashboard is searchable by zip code or school district.  A pop-up box provides a recommended learning scenario (in-person, hybrid, online only) for that area.

The Arizona Department of Health Services provides some data that the County does not track.  The ADHS data dashboard has real-time data about testing and hospital bed use, in addition to data for the rest of the state.  Their school and business dashboards break down data by county and can tell you which counties are meeting statewide benchmarks.

If your child was exposed to a student infected with COVID-19, it is important to follow the recommended quarantine of 14 days, regardless of negative test results. That’s because you can develop the infection for 14 days after the exposure.  Even if you test negative after a week, you can still develop the disease and infect others, with or without symptoms.

RELATED: View a tally of open and closed outbreaks at Maricopa County schools >