AIA recommends winter sports be postponed
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – The novel coronavirus COVID-19 continues to ramp up this fall/winter season as 1,996 new positive tests were reported for the state of Arizona on Friday.
Locally, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services (GCDHHS) reported 21 new positive results for COVID-19 in Graham County on Friday. The new positive tests include eight from Safford, five from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, five from Thatcher, and three from Pima.
As of Friday, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,364 total confirmed cases, with 870 recovered and 463 actives. According to GCDHHS criteria, a positive test is not considered a recovered patient until they have 30 days symptom-free. Graham County has about 39,000 residents. Nearly 3.5 percent of Graham County has tested positive for COVID-19, with the currently active number at slightly more than 1 percent.
A total of 31 people, mostly all over the age of 65 and who had pre-existing health conditions, have died with COVID-19 in Graham County. There are currently seven patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center.
Due to the increase of cases, the Fort Thomas School District has gone back to distance learning for the month of November, and the Arizona Interscholastic Association has recommended both Graham and Greenlee postpone the start of school winter sports. Both Graham and Greenlee fail the Winter Sports Metrics of thresholds as defined by the Arizona Department of Health Services by having too many cases per 100,000 people and too high of a positive percentage rate of tests given.
According to the state’s database, Graham County’s positive test cases include 306 who are under 20 years of age, 577 between 20-44, 156 between 45-54, 138 between 55-64, 185 who are 65 years old or older, and one unknown.
As of Friday, the ADHS continues to list Graham County in its “moderate” business reopening status, even though the county is in the “substantial transmission” zone in both cases per 100,000 individuals, and percent positivity, for the weeks of Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 11, and Oct. 18. ADHS metrics are roughly two weeks behind current results. The metrics show Graham County had 146 cases per 100,000 for the week of Sept. 27, 140 cases per 100,000 for the week of Oct. 4, 239 cases per 100,000 for the week of Oct. 11, and 343 cases per 100,000 for the week of Oct. 18, all over the 100 threshold to enter the substantial zone. The percent positivity for those four weeks was listed at 12.4 percent, 14.6 percent, 18.2 percent, and 12.4 percent, respectively, all over the 10 percent threshold to enter the substantial zone. Hospitalizations for the Southeast Region – which includes Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties – rose slightly from 2.1 percent to 2.4 percent for the week of Oct. 11, but lowered to 2 percent for the week of Oct. 18, and is still in the “minimal transmission” zone under 5 percent.
Greenlee County
On Thursday, the Greenlee County Health Department listed three new positive tests to raise its total for the pandemic to 109.
The health department has administered tests to 1,713 people as of Thursday, with 1,604 being negative, and 109 positives, according to the department. The county has 47 active cases, 60 recovered cases, and two deaths. Greenlee County has about 10,000 residents.
The breakdown of the Greenlee cases currently listed on the ADHS’ data dashboard includes 10 under the age of 20, 57 between 20-44, 22 between 45-54, 13 between 55-64, and five who are 65 years old or older.
Greenlee County’s percent positivity skyrocketed from 0 percent to 17.6 percent for the week of Oct. 4, putting that metric into the substantial zone. It lowered to 9.8 percent for the week of Oct. 11, putting it back into the moderate zone, but then rose the week of ct. 18 to 12.5 percent into the substantial zone. Its cases per 100,000 individuals also raised from 10 for the week of Sept. 27 to 39 for the week of Oct. 4, 67 for the week of Oct. 11, and 270 for the week of Oct. 18, putting it into the substantial zone. However, Greenlee County is still in the “minimal transmission” status for business reopening, according to ADHS.
San Carlos Apache Tribe
The San Carlos Apache Tribe stretches into both Graham and Gila counties and its cases add to the respective counties’ cases based on the geography of where the patients reside.
On Friday, the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Health & Human Services reported 49 new cases. To date, the Tribe has administered 12,032 tests with 9,901 negatives, 1,927 positives, and 204 results pending.
The Tribe lists 221 currently active cases, with 1,686 recovered cases, and 20 deaths.
The area breakdown on the reservation includes Gilson Wash – 318 positive, 284 recovered, 29 active, five deaths; Peridot – 641 positive, 558 recovered, 73 active, 10 deaths; 7-Mile – 387 positive, 347 recovered, 36 active, four deaths; Bylas – 468 positive, 401 recovered, 66 active, one death; other areas – 113 positive, 96 recovered, 17 active.
Statewide
For the state, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,996 new cases Friday to bring the total to 254,764 for the state. It reported 22 new deaths to bring the total fatalities due, at least in part, to COVID-19 to and amended 6,109 in Arizona. The state has about 7.3 million residents and nearly two million tests have been taken.
Reported positive cases in the various counties include Maricopa County with 164,269, Pima County – 29,764, Yuma County – 14,270, Pinal County – 12,524, Navajo County – 6,739, Coconino County – 5,668, Mohave County – 4,647, Apache County – 4,111, Yavapai County – 3,138, Santa Cruz County – 3,103, Cochise County – 2,331, Gila County – 2,092, Graham County – 1,364, La Paz County – 636, Greenlee County – 107 (county reports 109).
