2 dead, 171 infected with COVID-19 in Mohave County

KINGMAN – The Kingman area continues to suffer the worst of the county’s COVID-19 surge, with another 71 residents infected and another death attributed to complications from the coronavirus.

The Kingman area figures were provided in a report from the Mohave County Department of Public Health which covered the two-day period between noon on Wednesday, Nov. 17 and noon on Friday, Nov. 19. In all, the county recorded 171 new cases and two deaths during the reporting period.

The newly deceased were both patients in the 70-79 age range – one each from the Kingman Medical service area and the Bullhead City service area.

Kingman, which once trailed the Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City service area in both cases and deaths, now has the most COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and is second in deaths to the Bullhead City area.

Of the 171 new cases, 71 were reported in the Kingman area, including 27 in the age groups over 50 that account for 95% of the COVID deaths in the county. There were 16 new cases ages 60-69, eight ages 50-59 and three ages 70-79.

Another 12 new cases were recorded in children and teens, including seven ages 11-19 and five ages 0-10. There were also 16 new local cases ages 20-29, 10 ages 30-39 and six ages 40-49.

Elsewhere in the county, there were 48 new cases in the Bullhead City service area, 47 in the Lake Havasu City area, four in the communities in the Arizona Strip, and one in an undetermined location in the county.

Kingman now leads the county’s four medical service areas with 8,655 cases, and is second in the number of deaths with 228.

Community spread of the coronavirus in the county remains high, with 509 new cases and 12 deaths reported in the seven-day period ending at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 17. That compares to 549 new cases and eight deaths reported by county health officials in the week ending Wednesday, Nov. 10. That was the most new cases in any single week since the week ending Sept. 29, and the fewest deaths in any single week since the week ending July 21. Spikes in cases are usually followed by an increase in deaths in about two weeks.

There were 368 new cases and 15 deaths recorded in the seven-day period ending on Wednesday, Nov. 3. That was down from 532 new cases and 13 deaths recorded in the county in the seven-day span ending at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 27.

There were 426 new cases and 14 deaths in the week ending Wednesday, Oct. 20, up from 397 cases and 17 deaths in the week ending Wednesday, Oct. 13.

The number of new cases is rising nationwide, and Mohave County remains a high-transmission area. The county’s low vaccination rate has been cited as a primary reason by local health officials.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, only 41.6% of eligible county residents have received a COVID-19 vaccine, which have proven effective at preventing the disease and lessening the severity of breakthrough illnesses. That places Mohave far below the 61.3% logged statewide. More than one-third of county residents – 74,269 of about 213,000 – are fully vaccinated.

According to the county’s website, Bullhead City has suffered the most with 245 coronavirus deaths. It is followed by Kingman with 228, Lake Havasu City with 193, Golden Valley with 46, Fort Mohave with 83 and Mohave Valley with 32. The locations of the remaining deaths are not specified by the county on its website.

Broken down by cities and communities, the county has recorded 8,655 cases in Kingman, 8,304 cases in Lake Havasu City, 7,582 in Bullhead City, 2,627 in Fort Mohave, 1,684 in Golden Valley, 1,193 in Mohave Valley and 567 in Beaver Dam/Littlefield/Colorado City. There have also been 221 cases in Topock, 155 in Dolan Springs, 91 in Meadview and 74 in Yucca. The locations of the remaining cases are not specified.

The age of the average COVID-19 victim in the county is 72.7 years, while the average patient is 45.2 years old. The case fatality rate in the county is 2.8%, meaning 28 of every 1,000 individuals who have contracted the virus have died. Approximately 14.9% of Mohave County residents are known to have been infected.

County health officials have logged 31,744 coronavirus cases since the first local case was reported on March 24, 2020, while the Arizona Department of Health Services has recorded 35,329 cases in the county. The county counts 891 deaths, while the state reports 1,026.

“The county only reports confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, while the state which reports probables as well. Therefore, the county’s numbers and those from the state are not the same,” the county wrote in the news release.

According to county health officials, 27,577 county residents are known to have recovered from the disease since the beginning of the pandemic.

Daily testing data from AZDHS for Friday, Nov. 19 revealed 109 new cases from 625 tests for a positivity rate of 17%.

The positivity rate was 31% (202/661) on Friday, Nov. 12; 17% (73/436) on Sunday, Nov. 14; 49% (185/374) on Monday, Nov. 15; 15% 83/563) on Tuesday, Nov. 16; 10% (122/1,277) on Wednesday, Nov. 17; and 13% (104/831) on Thursday, Nov. 18.

Since the beginning of the pandemic 303,401 tests have been conducted on county residents and 12.3% have been positive, according to AZDHS.

Statewide on Saturday, Nov. 20 AZDHS was reporting 5,103 new cases from 36,207 tests for a positivity rate of 14%. More than 1,238,000 Arizonans have contracted the virus and 21,939 have died.

Nationwide, Johns Hopkins University of Medicine was reporting nearly 48 million confirmed cases and 770,784 deaths the morning of Saturday, Nov. 20.

Globally, Johns Hopkins was reporting more than 5.1 million deaths from nearly 257 million confirmed cases on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Vaccines are readily available at area pharmacies, physician offices and the Kingman Regional Medical Center COVID Services office at the corner of Stockton Hill Road and Detroit Avenue.

Residents age 5 and up can now be vaccinated, and booster shots are available for all persons age 18 and older if it’s been six months since they received their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months since they’re received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

To curtail virus spread, public health officials recommend that the unvaccinated maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others, wash their hands thoroughly and frequently, and wear a face covering when social distancing isn’t possible.

For some patients, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, or no symptoms at all.

For others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Some individuals with the virus, including those who have been fully vaccinated, can exhibit no symptoms, but are still capable of transmitting the disease.

The Kingman medical service area includes Kingman, New-Kingman/Butler, Chloride, Valentine, Meadview, Wikieup, Yucca, White Hills, Hackberry, Peach Springs, Valle Vista and Oatman.