By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – On the day of Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Arizona, the state reported a new record number of daily positive COVID-19 tests, with nine of them coming from Graham County.
According to the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services, Graham County now has 117 positive cases as of Wednesday night, with 82 cases being considered active. Graham County has a population of about 39,000.
Out of the new nine cases, four are from the San Carlos Apache Reservation, three are from Safford, and two are from Solomon. All known close contacts to the new positive cases have been notified and placed on quarantine until cleared by the health department.
The ages of Graham County’s 117 cases include 21 under the age of 20, 30 between the ages of 21-34, 45 between the ages of 35-64, and 21 who are 65 years old or older.
A total of 1,648 tests have been administered in Graham County, with 117 positives. A total of 33 cases are considered “recovered” and there have been two deaths of elderly patients who had underlying health conditions.
“As Graham County surpasses 100 COVID-19 cases, we are asking our residents to comply with Governor Ducey’s latest Executive Order,” said Graham County Health Department Director Brian Douglas. “We need to strengthen our efforts to slow the spread of the virus. It’s more important than ever to wear face coverings in public, social distancing by six feet, washing hands frequently, and staying home as much as possible.
Thank you for doing your part and please continue to be diligent in taking extra precautions as we try to protect each other and the community.”
Statewide, the total number of positive tests for the pandemic was 87,425 as of Thursday morning, with 1,757 deaths. Maricopa County leads the way with 54,757 cases, followed by Pima County with 8,577, Yuma County – 6,663, Pinal County – 3,908, Navajo County – 3,744, Apache County – 2,405, Coconino County – 1,986, Santa Cruz County – 1,849, Mohave County – 1,248, Yavapai County – 814, Cochise County – 678, La Paz County – 346, Gila County – 314, Graham County – 117, and Greenlee County – 18.
Greenlee County
Greenlee County has administered 467 tests as of Wednesday evening with 18 total positives and eight currently active cases.
The county has reported nine recovered cases and one death of an elderly patient with underlying health conditions. There are 37 tests that are pending completion.
Clifton enacted a mask mandate June 26 for anyone in public and Greenlee County followed with its own version July 1.
