SAFFORD — The count of positive COVID-19 cases in Graham County continues to climb, while Greenlee County and San Carlos Apache reservation continue to hold steady.
In a release issued Sunday, Graham County Health Department announced two more positive cases, bringing the total to 20 since the start of the pandemic.
One of the new cases lives in Safford while the other lives in Fort Thomas. Both cases are considered to have originated from the same cluster first discovered in late April that has resulted in all the positive cases thus far except for two in March.
On Monday, Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center posted on its Facebook page that a “hospitalized patient within the facility had tested positive for COVID-19” on Sunday, May 3.
Stating that protocols had been in place for weeks, the hospital “continues to enforce and follow those precautions now that the expectation has become reality in order to ensure the safety of both hospital staff and patients.”
To date, five of the positive cases have been 20-years-old or younger, eight are 35 to 55 and seven are 65 or older. There have been no deaths in Graham County directly related to COVID-19 thus far.
The Health Department reported there are still 14 test results pending and results are expected within 24 hours.
In a release issued Sunday, Greenlee County Health Department reported that the number of positive cases continues to remain at two and both cases have fully recovered. There have been 100 tests in the county thus far and four results are still pending.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe continues to have no positive cases thus far. The San Carlos Apache Health Center has conducted 211 tests as of Monday morning, with all coming back as negative and one result still pending.
Due to the increased number of positive cases, the Graham County Health Department is recommending wearing facemasks every time out in public.
Editor’s note: This story was edited at 11:46 a.m. Monday, May 4, 2020, to include information from Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center.
