File Photo By Travis Robertson/Cronkite News: Registered nurse Elaine Crabb draws a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Two new COVID-19 deaths for Graham County to raise total to 171
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – New confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Graham County have drastically lowered from the recent highs as much as 90% lower than the previous peak. However, Graham County continues to see COVID-attributed fatalities.
While at the highest point Graham County was seeing more than 100 new daily cases, on Tuesday the data showed there had been only 42 new cases in the previous five days. On Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services reported an additional 19 cases were reported the previous day.
While the number of new cases has dwindled most recently, Graham County continues to see fatalities attributed to COVID-19. The county health department reported an additional death in its release for Feb. 17-22, and the ADHS reported a new death Wednesday morning.
Graham County has had 171 total deaths attributed to COVID-19 since April 2020. For the course of the pandemic, the county has had 11,856 confirmed cases, with 10,582 recoveries as of Tuesday, and about 970 currently active cases countywide.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) put out data regarding rates of COVID-19 by vaccination status. Click here to go through the data, which states that in December unvaccinated people had a 4 times greater chance of contracting COVID-19, a 24 times greater risk of hospitalization, and 58 times greater risk of dying from it.
The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services offers free vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson and has booster shots for those 18 and over. Additionally, children 5 and up can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and adults can have any of the three. 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 5 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. Vaccines are also available at local pharmacies such as Palo Verde Pharmacy in Pima, and, in Greenlee County, at Gila Health Resources.
