Graham County now at 1,283 positive tests with 842 recovered and 412 active
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A Thatcher resident over the age of 65 died due to complications from COVID-19 and was listed Sunday as the county’s 29th death associated with the virus since the start of the pandemic.
The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services (GCDHHS) reported 59 new positive results for COVID-19 in Graham County over the weekend, with the majority of the cases coming from the San Carlos Apache Tribe. The new results lifted Graham County’s total to 1,283 for the course of the pandemic.
As of Monday, the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,283 total confirmed cases, with 842 recovered and 412 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. About 3.2 percent of Graham County has tested positive for COVID-19, with the currently active number just over 1 percent.
A total of 29 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 seven 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 288 who are under 20 years of age, 544 between 20-44, 145 between 45-54, 128 between 55-64, 176 who are 65 years old or older, and one unknown.
As of Monday, 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 having 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
As of Sunday, the Greenlee County Health Department listed its total of positive tests for the pandemic at 103, however, the ADHS is reporting 104.
As of Sunday, the health department has administered tests to 1,631 people, with 1,528 being negative, and 103 positives, according to the department. 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 Monday, the San Carlos Apache Tribe Department of Health & Human Services reported 26 new cases. To date, the Tribe has administered 11,450 tests with 9,545 negatives, 1,791 positives, and 114 results pending.
The Tribe lists 190 currently active cases, with 1,581 recovered cases, and 20 deaths.
The area breakdown on the reservation includes Gilson Wash – 307 positive, 269 recovered, 33 active, five deaths; Peridot – 596 positive, 538 recovered, 48 active, 10 deaths; 7-Mile – 364 positive, 326 recovered, 34 active, four deaths; Bylas – 422 positive, 356 recovered, 65 active, one death; other areas – 102 positive, 92 recovered, 10 active.
Statewide
For the state, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 666 new cases Monday to bring the total to 248,139 for the state. It reported just one new death to bring the total fatalities due, at least in part, to COVID-19 to and amended 5,982 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 160,184, Pima County – 28,914, Yuma County – 14,041, Pinal County – 12,210, Navajo County – 6,545, Coconino County – 5,429, Mohave County – 4,453, Apache County – 4,006, Santa Cruz County – 3,066, Yavapai County – 3,079, Cochise County – 2,205, Gila County – 1,992, Graham County – 1,283, La Paz County – 628, Greenlee County – 104 (county has it at 103).
