14 pending tests should be completed by Monday
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Two new positive tests for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in Graham County have been confirmed on Sunday, pushing the number of total positive tests to 20 with 18 currently active cases.
The new positive test patients reside in Fort Thomas and Safford, according to Graham County Health Director Brian Douglas. That makes new positive tests in the last few days in Safford, Thatcher, Pima, and now, Fort Thomas. As of Sunday, Graham County has administered 282 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests with 20 positive cases. A total of 14 pending tests should be completed in the next day. All known close contacts of the new positive test patients have been notified and placed on quarantine until cleared by the health department.
The ages of all 20 cases in Graham County since the start of the pandemic are five under the age of 20, eight who are between the ages of 35 – 55, and seven who are 65 or older.
“In Graham County, we’ve seen enough COVID-19 activity through our contact tracing to determine our latest cluster could have entered our valley through several different sources,” Douglas previously said. “Our community determines how COVID-19 is spread. Because of this, our health department recommends wearing facemasks when in public and complying (with) Governor (Doug) Ducey’s stay at home executive order. These are great tools that can minimize the spread of viral material.”
The increase of testing in Graham County has inevitably resulted in an increase of positive tests, and the virus may be more prevalent throughout the county than previously known. That being said, the form of the virus going through the county appears to be a mild strain as most cases have little to no symptoms.
On Monday, the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center released a statement on its Facebook page advising that one of its patients had tested positive for the virus.
“On Sunday, May 3, Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center confirmed that a hospitalized patient within the facility had tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement reported. “All precautions necessary to safely care for a COVID-19 patient have been in place at MGRMC for weeks in preparation of this eventuality. MGRMC continues to enforce and follow those precautions now that expectation has become reality in order to ensure the safety of both hospital staff and patients.”
The patient is the first known COVID-19 infection to be hospitalized locally, however, Douglas previously advised a patient with underlying health conditions had been sent to a hospital out of the county.
Greenlee County
As of May 2, the Greenlee County Health Department was reporting just the two recovered cases. As of that date, there had been 96 tests completed in Greenlee County with 92 negative and two pending results.
San Carlos Apache Reservation
The San Carlos Apache Reservation is reporting zero positive results out of 205 administered tests to date. The reservation still has a closure in effect for non-tribal members and has checkpoints up at various locations to make sure its guidelines are being followed. The reservation also has a curfew in effect between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and anyone in violation of the stay-at-home order or the San Carlos Apache Tribe Council’s resolutions or motions may be subject to citations up to $1,000. U.S. Highway 70 travel is not affected by the closure.
Statewide
Statewide, the Arizona Department of Health Services is reporting 8,640 positive tests since the start of the pandemic with 362 deaths. Maricopa County is listed with the most positive tests with 4,585, followed by Pima County with 1,326, Navajo County – 777, Coconino County – 527, Apache County – 526, Mohave County – 135, Yuma County – 98, Yavapai County – 89, Cochise County – 39, Santa Cruz – 34, Graham County – 20 (listed as 18 in the state database), La Paz County – 14, Gila County – 14, and Greenlee County – 2.
General things that everyone should do to prevent the spread of all respiratory illnesses include:
● 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 EPA registered household cleaning spray or wipes.
● 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.
● Wear a facemask when in public.
● When shopping, limit the number of people who you take with you. If possible, pick one person from your household to do the shopping.
● Find up to date information at azhealth.gov/COVID-19 and at
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
This article was updated at 11:58 a.m. on Monday to reflect the hospital’s announcement.
