Photo By Dawn Endico/Creative Commons
Health department also reports 221 new cases
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – On Wednesday, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services announced seven new deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the past nine days.
The new deaths bring the county’s total for the pandemic to 133. The health department also announced 221 new confirmed cases from the past four days, increasing the total of currently active cases to 843. That and the Omicron variant reportedly has just been found in California.
For the course of the pandemic, Graham County has had 8,555 total confirmed cases, with 7,579 recoveries, 843 currently active cases, and 133 deaths. Graham County has a COVID-19 death rate of 1.55 percent per confirmed case.
The biggest age group affected has been those 20-44 with 3,942 cases, followed by those under 20 with 1,533 cases, those 45-54 with 1,210 cases, those 55-64 with 919 cases, those 65 and older with 916 cases, and 35 unknown.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Graham County has a COVID-19 rate of 22,234 per 100,000 population. That is good for the worst rate out of any of Arizona’s 15 counties, with the next closest being Navajo County with a rate of 21,801 per 100,000 population and Apache County with a rate of 21,344 per 100,000 population.
Conversely, despite a recent uptick in cases, Greenlee County has the lowest rate of cases by county in the state with 13,244 per 100,000 population. Greenlee is followed by Cochise County with 13,847 cases per 100,000 population and Yavapai County with 14,086 cases per 100,000 population. The state’s average is 17,706 cases per 100,000 population.
While some cases are asymptomatic or improve within a week or two, other cases have lingered with mild to severe effects for months and even more than a year, while it proves fatal to others. While those who have already had the virus and survived likely have natural antibodies to fight the virus from quickly returning, for those who have not had the virus the best way to avoid catching it is to be vaccinated.
The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services offers free vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. Now, children 5 and up can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and adults can have any of the three. The department is now also offering booster shots. The health department provides the vaccine Mondays from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., Thursdays from 2 – 5 p.m., and the Pfizer vaccine for those 12 and older on Thursdays from 5 – 7:30 p.m. and Fridays from 2 – 5 p.m. Click here to register to receive a vaccine.
Greenlee County
The Greenlee County Health Department reported six new cases on Tuesday to put its current total at 1,423 for the course of the pandemic, with 1,212 recoveries, 189 active cases, and 22 deaths.
Greenlee County is offering the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 5 and up and also has booster shots for those over the age of 18.
