Graham County now at 1,224 positive tests with 831 recovered and 365 active
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – The San Carlos Apache Tribe and Safford lead the way for new COVID-19 positive tests in Graham County.
The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services (GCDHHS) reported 27 new positive results for COVID-19 in Graham County on Friday. The new cases include 15 from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, 10 from Safford, and two from Thatcher. The new results lifted Graham County’s total to 1,224 for the course of the pandemic.
As of Friday, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,224 total confirmed cases, with 831 recovered and 365 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. There are currently four patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center.
According to the state’s database, Graham County’s positive test cases include 272 who are under 20 years of age, 518 between 20-44, 136 between 45-54, 123 between 55-64, 173 who are 65 years old or older, and one unknown.
As of Friday, 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 Thursday, the health department has administered tests to 1,613 people, with 1,510 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.
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 Friday, the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Health & Human Services reported 24 new cases. To date, the Tribe has administered 11,257 tests with 9,316 negatives, 1,727 positives, and 214 results pending.
The Tribe lists 180 currently active cases, with 1,530 recovered cases, and 17 deaths.
The area breakdown on the reservation includes Gilson Wash – 291 positive, 261 recovered, 25 active, five deaths; Peridot – 582 positive, 520 recovered, 53 active, nine deaths; 7-Mile – 355 positive, 322 recovered, 31 active, two deaths; Bylas – 402 positive, 336 recovered, 65 active, one death; other areas – 97 positives, 91 recovered, six active.
Statewide
For the state, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,565 new cases Thursday to bring the total to 244,045 for the state. It reported 16 new deaths to bring the total fatalities due, at least in part, to COVID-19 to and amended 5,934 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 157,728, Pima County – 28,296, Yuma County – 13,797, Pinal County – 11,958, Navajo County – 6,452, Coconino County – 5,301, Mohave County – 4,395, Apache County – 3,992, Santa Cruz County – 3,037, Yavapai County – 2,982, Cochise County – 2,193, Gila County – 1,965, Graham County – 1,224, La Paz County – 624, Greenlee County – 101 (county has it at 103).
