Graham lists 1,038 cases, 755 recovered, 256 active, and 27 deaths
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services announced an additional death attributed to COVID-19 on Monday. The new death puts the county’s total at 27 for the course of the pandemic.
The new death was a San Carlos Apache Tribe member over the age of 65 who was living in Bylas.
The health department also reported 10 new positive results for COVID-19 on Monday, pushing the county’s total to 1,038 for the course of the pandemic. The new cases include four from Safford, three from Thatcher, two from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and one from Pima.
The county will hold a testing blitz at the Graham County Fairgrounds on Friday, Oct. 23, from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. Click here for information on the blitz.
Lowering the number of cases is required for shuttered businesses to reopen from Governor Doug Ducey’s executive order mandate. As of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) most recent metrics, Graham County has a current total positivity rate of 9.9 percent.
While the latest release from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) shows Graham County has not met two out of the three benchmarks for school reopening – which is only a recommendation – the numbers are two weeks behind and do not include the most recent increases. The business reopening metrics, which are required, are currently in the yellow or “moderate” level, which allows for the reopening of most previously shuttered businesses. However, those metrics could possibly change for the worse in the coming weeks. The new data on the metrics will be released Thursday.
As of Monday, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services reports 1,038 total confirmed cases, with 755 recovered and 256 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.
A total of 27 people, mostly all over the age of 65 and who had pre-existing health conditions, have died with COVID-19 in Graham County, according to the GCDHHS.
The state’s database lists Graham County’s positive test cases include 226 who are under 20 years of age, 446 between 20-44, 114 between 45-54, 99 between 55-64, and 152 who are 65 years old or older.
Greenlee County
As of Sunday, the Greenlee County Health Department has reported a total of 74 cases. The health department has administered tests to 1,421 people, with 1,342 being negative, 74 positives, and five results pending. The county has 15 active cases, 57 recovered cases, and two deaths. Greenlee County has about 10,000 residents.
The breakdown of the Greenlee cases includes three under the age of 20, 40 between 20-44, 14 between 45-54, 10 between 55-64, and four who are 65 years old or older. Greenlee County currently has a total positivity rate of 4.3 percent, according to the ADHS, which has not counted the three most recent additions as of Monday.
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 Monday, the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Health & Human Services reported 32 new cases. To date, the Tribe has administered tests to 9,854 people with 8,222 negatives, 1,478 positives, and 154 results pending.
The Tribe lists 216 currently active cases, with 1,246 recovered cases, and 16 deaths.
The area breakdown on the reservation includes Gilson Wash – 260 positive, 184 recovered, 71 active, five deaths; Peridot – 499 positive, 409 recovered, 82 active, eight deaths; 7-Mile – 310 positive, 269 recovered, 39 active, two deaths; Bylas – 323 positive, 304 recovered, 18 active, one death; other areas – 86 positive, 80 recovered, six active.
Statewide
For the state, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 748 new cases Friday to bring the total to 231,897 for the state. It reported just three new deaths to bring the total fatalities due, at least in part, to COVID-19 to and amended 5,830 in Arizona. The state has about 7.3 million residents.
Reported positive cases in the various counties include Maricopa County with 150,280, Pima County – 26,955, Yuma County – 13,261, Pinal County – 11,379, Navajo County – 6,100, Coconino County – 4,746, Mohave County – 4,182, Apache County – 3,781, Santa Cruz County – 2,956, Yavapai County – 2,776, Cochise County – 2,034, Gila County – 1,748, Graham County – 1,038, La Paz County – 590, Greenlee County – 71 (county records 74).
