Graham County nearing 1,200 total cases of COVID-19

Graham County had more positive tests in the last week (114) than Greenlee County has had for the course of the pandemic (103)

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

SAFFORD – Graham County is nearing 1,200 positive tests for COVID-19 and has had more in the past week (114) than Greenlee County has had for the entire course of the pandemic (103).

The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services reported 23 new positive results for COVID-19 in Graham County on Wednesday and 12 more on Thursday. The new cases include 18 from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, eight from Safford, six from Thatcher, and three from Pima. The new results lifted Graham County’s total to 1,197 for the course of the pandemic.

As of Thursday, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,197 total confirmed cases, with 817 recovered and 352 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. Slightly more than 3 percent of Graham County has tested positive for COVID-19, with the currently active number at a little under 1 percent.

A total of 28 people, mostly all over the age of 65 and who had pre-existing health conditions, have died with COVID-19 in Graham County. The Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center currently lists four COVID-19 patients at its facility.  

According to the state’s database, Graham County’s positive test cases include 265 who are under 20 years of age, 508 between 20-44, 133 between 45-54, 120 between 55-64, 170 who are 65 years old or older, and one unknown.

As of Thursday, 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, and Oct. 11. 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, and 239 cases per 100,000 for the week of Oct. 11, all over the 100 threshold to enter the substantial zone. The percent positivity for those three weeks was listed at 12.4 percent, 14.6 percent, and 18.2 percent, respectively, all over the 10 percent threshold to enter the substantial zone and showing a rise in each of the three weeks over the previous week. 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, and is still in the “minimal transmission” zone under 5 percent.  

Greenlee County

The Greenlee County Health Department hasn’t reported any new positive tests in the past few days, keeping its total at 103.

As of Wednesday, the health department has administered tests to 1,593 people, with 1,490 being negative, and 103 positives. The county has 41 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 12 under the age of 20, 52 between 20-44, 21 between 45-54, 13 between 55-64, and four 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, but it lowered to 9.5 percent for the week of Oct. 11, putting it back into the moderate 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 and 67 for the week of Oct. 11, putting it into the moderate zone. However, Greenlee County is still in the “minimal transmission” status for business reopening, according to ADHS.  

Raymundo Frasquillo File Photo/Gila Herald: Volunteers hand out masks at an event in Morenci. The Greenlee County BOS voted this month to continue its mask mandate into December.

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 Thursday, the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Health & Human Services reported 22 new cases. To date, the Tribe has administered 11,127 tests with 9,221 negatives, 1,703 positives, and 203 results pending.

The Tribe lists 169 currently active cases, with 1,517 recovered cases, and 17 deaths.

The area breakdown on the reservation includes Gilson Wash – 290 positive, 255 recovered, 30 active, five deaths; Peridot – 577 positive, 517 recovered, 51 active, nine deaths; 7-Mile – 353 positive, 320 recovered, 31 active, two deaths; Bylas – 386 positive, 335 recovered, 50 active, one death; other areas – 97 positives, 90 recovered, seven active.   

Statewide

For the state, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,315 new cases Thursday to bring the total to 242,480 for the state. It reported 13 new deaths to bring the total fatalities due, at least in part, to COVID-19 to and amended 5,918 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 156,736, Pima County – 28,067, Yuma County – 13,735, Pinal County – 11,937, Navajo County – 6,410, Coconino County – 5,243, Mohave County – 4,371, Apache County – 3,965, Santa Cruz County – 3,021, Yavapai County – 2,961, Cochise County – 2,171, Gila County – 1,945, Graham County – 1,197, La Paz County – 620, Greenlee County – 101 (county has it at 103).