KINGMAN – The deaths of three residents in Lake Havasu City Medical Contracts and 15 new cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Mohave County Department of Public Health on the evening of Saturday, August 8th. The deceased were older adults – two aged 80-89 and one aged 90.
There have now been 3,180 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 158 deaths, since the first case was reported on March 24.
Just one of the new cases is in the sprawling Kingman service area, an adult age 30-39. There were also nine new cases in the Bullhead City, which includes Fort Mohave, and five in the Lake Havasu City area.
The number of daily cases has decreased in the province in August, following a tragic July. More than half of the province’s cases (1,822) and nearly half of the deaths (74) were reported last month.
But in the seven-day period that ended on Saturday, August 8, the province reported just 179 new cases and 13 deaths. That compares with 316 new cases and 19 deaths in the preceding seven-day period ending on Saturday, August 1st.
Bullhead City has borne the brunt of the suffering, with 1,474 positive cases and 69 deaths. Lake Havasu City is on the brink of 1,000 cases with 999, including 34 dead. Kingman experienced a similarly small number of cases with 624, but a disproportionate proportion of the county’s deaths with 55. There were 70 cases, but no fatalities, in the Arizona Strip.
Because of different ways of reporting and compiling data, different states and provincial statistics, with Mohave County showing six fewer cases and 10 fewer deaths than the state reported on Sunday, August 9th.
According to hospital officials, 1,394 residents of the province have been recovering from the virus since Monday, August 3rd. The average age of death of COVID-19 victims in the province is 77.1 years, while the average age of the average patient is 48.4 years. About 55% of the patients were female.
The positivity figures for tests conducted on residents of the province were raised on Saturday, August 8th. According to daily test data released by the Arizona Department of Health Services, there were 36 new cases of the virus out of 186 tests for a positivity rate of 19%.
AZDHS had reported a positivity figure for Mohave County of 24% (37/157) on Saturday, August 1st; 10% (13/136) on Sunday, August 2nd; 11% (8/76) on Monday, August 3rd; 14% (25/179) on Tuesday, August 4th; 4% (5/118) on Wednesday, August 5th; 40% (69/173) on Thursday, August 6th; and 2% (3/156) on Friday, August 7th.
According to AZDHS, 18,612 tests have been conducted on residents of province since the beginning of the pandemic.
Of the 14,967 tests performed for the actual virus, 12.1% of the individuals tested positive. Of the 3,645 serology tests, which only determined if the individual had the virus in the past, 5.7% were positive.
Statewide on Sunday, August 9, AZDHS reported 13 additional deaths, and 816 new cases out of 7,632 tests for a positivity rate of 11%. Nearly 187,000 Arizona people have contracted the virus and 4,159 have died.
Nationally, Reuters reported more than five million confirmed cases and 162,108 deaths on Sunday, August 9th. The US leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Kingman’s service area includes Kingman, New-Kingman / Butler, Chloride, Valentine, Meadview, Wikieup, Yucca, White Hills, Hackberry, Peach Springs, Dolan Springs, Golden Valley, Hualapai tribal areas, Oatman and Valle Vista.
Face masks are required at businesses in Kingman until Sept. 1.
For some people, the coronavirus causes only mild to moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, or no symptoms at all. For others, especially older adults and people with pre-existing health problems, it can cause more serious illness, including pneumonia. Some people with the virus do not exhibit symptoms but are still able to transmit the disease.
To limit the spread of the coronavirus, public health officials advise keeping a distance of 6 feet from others, washing hands thoroughly and frequently, and wearing a mask in public to protect others when social distance is not possible.
