COVID-19 children

MOHAVE COUNTY – Nearly 300 kids 5-18 years of age have contracted COVID-19 in Mohave County over the course of the ongoing pandemic. That’s one of the new statistics Department of Public Health Director Denise Burley presented during Thursdays’ Mohave County Board of Supervisors meeting in Kingman.

Burley said no deaths are reported in the body of local youth infection cases. She said the data shows that, prior to start of school, most kids were exposed to the coronavirus by household contact.

Burley said there have been infections in the 0-4 age population, but that she doesn’t have a specific figure readily available. However, she said no deaths among that age have been documented locally either.

Burley also told supervisors that data reflects that Mohave, by many measures, is faring better than a number of other Arizona counties in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. She said new case counts over the last six weeks have been lower in Mohave than most other counties in the state.

Conversely, she said the Mohave County death rate is higher given an elderly population demographic. Burley said statistics show that Mohave County has a lower infection per 100,000 people rate than the state and nation:

Mohave County: 1,887.7 positive cases per 100,000.

State of Arizona: 3,153 positive cases per 100,000.

U.S.A.: 2,400 positive cases per 100,000.

Supervisor Ron Gould speculated that Mohave County may be benefiting from a population of less than 215,000 people who are scattered over what is the fifth larges- sized county in the nation, in geographic terms. He noted that higher infection rates are being recorded in more densely populated areas such as New York City.

Gould also noted cultural lifestyles that involve more people sharing living quarters may contribute to some Native American and Hispanic populations experiencing higher infection percentages.

Dave Hawkins