By Jon Johnson
CLIFTON – The Greenlee County Health Department issued a statement Sunday night reporting the county’s first death related to COVID-19.
While the county did not release any details regarding the death, it is possible to have been related to the most recent outbreak in Graham County, which has taken two lives. The patient also likely had underlying health conditions, however, that statement has not been corroborated by the Greenlee County Health Department at this time.
Both patients who died in Graham County were elderly, in their 70s and 90s, and had underlying health conditions.
According to a GoFundMe started by the family of the Greenlee patient, the patient had “many health issues throughout his lifetime.”
Greenlee County has also advised of a sixth positive test and is currently investigating the source of the infection. The county’s first two cases have been fully recovered for more than a month, giving the county three active cases.
Greenlee County has tested 221 patients since the beginning of the pandemic and has 27 results pending as of Sunday night.
In reaction to the latest outbreak, Gila Health Resources has restricted access to its building to patients and staff only. The company said the emergency change in policy is to protect the health of the entire community during the new outbreak.
