By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Thirteen new cases from Safford and one from Thatcher puts Graham County at 292 positive COVID-19 cases for the course of the pandemic.
According to the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services (GCDHHS), 2,187 tests have been conducted in Graham County (which has a population of about 39,000), and out of the completed tests, there have been 1,895 negative results.
Graham County currently has 232 active cases, with 55 recovered cases, and five deaths. According to the GCDHHS criteria, cases are considered active until 30 days after the patients’ symptoms subside.
Ages of the county’s 292 cases include 51 under the age of 20, 79 between 21-34, 115 between 35-64, and 47 who are 65 years old or older.
At Thursday night’s Thatcher School Board meeting, Thatcher Superintendent reported that while there have been some cases within the school already, due to the health protocols put in place they were able to be contained and handled accordingly for the best interest of the health of staff and students. The school resumed sports activities June 1 and currently plans on having staff return to campus Aug. 3, followed by in-school learning for students beginning Aug. 17 if Governor Doug Ducey’s previous proclamation date continues to stand.
Greenlee County
The Greenlee County Health Department has reported that Greenlee County has administered 741 tests to date with 568 negative and 134 tests pending, as of Friday. However, that date also listed the total cases at 39, while the Arizona Department of Health Services listed the county at 40 as of Sunday morning. The discrepancy could be a disputed case regarding where a person actually lives.
Greenlee County also lists 26 active cases, 12 recovered cases and one death.
San Carlos Apache Tribe
As of Saturday morning, the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Health & Human Services has reported administering 3,012 tests with 2,309 negative results and 439 pending. The Tribe has listed 264 positive cases, with 181 recovered, 81 active, and two deaths for those members living on the reservation.
The breakdown on the reservation includes Gilson Wash – 32 positive, 26 recovered, five active, one death; Peridot – 102 positive, 73 recovered, 28 active, one death; 7-Mile – 52 positive, 42 recovered, 10 active; Bylas – 53 positive, 22 recovered, 10 active; other areas – 25 positive, 18 recovered, seven active.
Statewide, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) reported a record-high 147 COVID-19 related deaths on Friday, but that number was partially caused by a review of death certificates. According to the ADHS, a review of death certificates yielded an extra 106 deaths newly attributed to COVID-19.
The ADHS reported an additional 31 deaths for Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 2,761.
The ADHS also reported 2,359 new positive COVID-19 cases for Saturday.
As of Sunday morning, the statewide cases since the start of the pandemic include 95,471 in Maricopa County, followed by 13,449 in Pima County, 9,300 in Yuma County, 6,654 in Pinal County, 4,801 in Navajo County, 2,741 in Apache County, 2,664 in Coconino County, 2,305 in Santa Cruz County, 2,269 in Mohave County, 1,375 in Yavapai County, 1,258 in Cochise County, 570 in Gila County, 435 in La Paz County, 292 in Graham County, and 40 in Greenlee County.
