New COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Mohave County

KINGMAN – There were 384 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths from the disease in Mohave County in the two-week period ending Wednesday, June 8, according to the Mohave County Department of Public Health.

New cases have been rising since April in the county, county health officials revealed in their twice-monthly COVID update. “Over the past month confirmed cases have begun to trend upward,” the county wrote.

The 384 new cases compares to 259 logged in the two-week period ending Wednesday, May 25; 119 cases in the two-week span ending Wednesday, May 11; and 94 in the two weeks ending April 27.

County health officials said the rise in cases may be the result of an increase in the number of community events and large gatherings, as well as an increase in travel.

Meanwhile, deaths have fallen, with 13 reported May 11 in the county, four on May 25 and three on June 8.

According to the Centers for Disease Control dashboard, the COVID-19 transmission rate in the county remains low, but neighboring counties have been elevated into the medium-level transmission category.

The locations of the new deaths and new cases are no longer reported by county health officials.

The death toll in the county since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago is now 1,465, while the number of cases has increased to 58,505 out of about 213,000 residents, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The Kingman medical service area leads the county with 15,205 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, followed by Bullhead City with 12,814 cases and Lake Havasu City with 12,614. Golden Valley has logged 2,709 cases.

The Kingman medical service area leads the county with 347 deaths. Lake Havasu has experienced 251 deaths while the Bullhead City service area has suffered 317 deaths.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, 46.7% of eligible county residents have received COVID-19 vaccines, which have proven effective at preventing the disease and lessening the severity of breakthrough illnesses. That places Mohave far below the 76% vaccination rate achieved statewide. According to AZDHS, less than half of county residents – 83,358 of about 213,000 – are fully vaccinated.

Since the beginning of the pandemic 426,459 tests have been conducted on county residents and 14.8% have been positive, according to AZDHS.

Statewide AZDHS was reporting 40 additional deaths and 14,677 new cases for the week ending Wednesday, June 8. More than 2,077,000 Arizonans have contracted the virus and 30,372 have died.

Nationwide, Johns Hopkins University of Medicine was reporting more than 85 million confirmed cases and 1,010,347 deaths on Wednesday, June 8.

John Hopkins was reporting more than 533 million cases and more than 6.3 million deaths worldwide the morning of Wednesday, June 8.

Vaccines are readily available at area pharmacies and physician offices.

Residents age 5 and up can now be vaccinated, and a second booster shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines is now recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if it’s been at least four months since you received your first booster shot.

To curtail virus spread, health officials recommend 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.

Free COVID-19 home test kits are now available from the federal government at COVIDTests.gov.

Free N95 masks are also available free to the public at some pharmacies and community health centers.