New restaurant restrictions go into effect Saturday statewide
MOHAVE COUNTY – Late Thursday afternoon, the Mohave County Health Department (MCDPH) Nursing staff was notified of 89 new COVID-19 confirmed cases and one death from a previous case. There are 49 new cases in the Lake Havasu City area. There are 24 in the Bullhead City area. The Kingman area has 16 cases. The death of a 70-79 year age range person is from a previous case in the Bullhead City service area.
Of the 49 new cases in the Lake Havasu City area (a record high for that area,) 38 cases remain under investigation. Three are 0-10; one is 11-19; seven are 20-29; four are 30-39; three are 40-49; ten are 50-59; six are 60-69; two are 70-79; two are 80-89. The remaining 11 cases in the Lake Havasu City area are recovering at home and are linked to another case. One is 11-19; one is 20-29; two are 30-39; one is 50-59; one is 60-69; three are 80-89; two are 90+.
Of the 24 cases in the Bullhead City area, 18 remain under investigation. One is 0-10; five are 20-29; two are 40-49; two are 50-59; five are 60-69; two are 70-79; one is 90+.
Of the 16 cases in the Kingman area, there are 14 cases under investigation. One is 11-19; two are 30-39; two are 40-49; three are 50-59; one is 60-69; five are 70-79. One case, a 70-79 person is hospitalized and the case is under investigation. The final Kingman area case is a 30-39 individual who is recovering at home and is linked to another case.
There are now 441 positive confirmed cases in the Lake Havasu City area, including 13 deaths, 389 in Kingman, with a total of 46 deaths there, and 33 cases in “North County,” formerly referred to as “Other”(composed of a number of smaller Mohave County communities,) and 799 in Bullhead City, including 33 deaths. There are now a total of 92 deaths in the county from the disease. Total positive cases, 1,662.
VITALLY IMPORTANT REGARDING THE NUMBERS –Periodically, the Mohave County Department of Public Health staff review case information for accuracy and completeness. As a result of a recent review, the case count and respective demographic data will be adjusted slightly to show accurate data. There are a number of reasons for the adjustment, including the removal of cases that did not have a permanent address in Mohave County, reconciliation of cases reported twice or not originally reported, and removal of probable cases. The new case numbers below reflect adjustments made for the month of June due to the above-stated reasons.*
The average age of all Mohave County positive cases is now 48.6 years old.
The average age of deaths fr0m COVID-19 in Mohave County is now 78.2.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
As of now. The MCDPH is reporting a total of 499 recovered cases in the county. This will be updated once a week on Mondays for the previous week.*
BREAKING NEWS ON COVID-19 TESTING: Governor Doug Ducey has announced a collaboration with Sonora Quest Laboratories, the diagnostics laboratory testing company in Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and PerkinElmer, Inc. to expand testing in Arizona.
Sonora Quest expects to process 35,000 diagnostic tests per day by the end of July, and up to 60,000 tests per day by the end of August. The project teams at Sonora Quest will be working 24 hours a day to install, validate and deploy the new production lines, which will include chemagic™ 360 instruments, JANUS® G3 Primary Sample Reformatters and PCR+ Workstations, to automate PerkinElmer’s RNA extraction and RT-PCR testing. The breadth of PerkinElmer’s total workflow solutions enables Sonora Quest to rapidly process samples at high volumes, ultimately helping decrease turnaround time in testing.
“The goal is to have test results available within 24 hours for anyone tested,” said David A. Dexter, President & CEO, Sonora Quest Laboratories. Through this partnership, the State of Arizona and Arizona Department of Health Services is providing Sonora Quest Laboratories $1 million for the purchase of new processing equipment.
Patients who believe they may have active COVID-19 are strongly encouraged to contact their health care provider or locate an Arizona Testing Blitz site for testing at https://www.azdhs.gov/testingblitz
For more information about the COVID-19 testing service, visit www.SonoraQuest.com/coronavirus.
NEW STATEWIDE RESTAURANT RESTRICTIONS: Governor Ducey ordered Thursday for restaurants to limit occupancy to 50% of capacity as Arizona deals with rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The policy, which will be based on occupancy limits as set by the fire code, was made in consultation with restaurant industry leaders. The order goes into effect at 10 p.m. Saturday and will be reevaluated every two weeks. In addition to the capacity cap, the order says restaurants must provide at least 6 feet between parties at different tables or bar tops unless they are separated by plexiglass. The order also says all buffets, cafeteria-style restaurants and self-serve food bars must be closed
The number of Mohave County confirmed cases has risen dramatically. Please notice that the count includes all ages, not just the elderly. It is vital that people continue to practice Social Distancing and wear masks in public. Always wash your hands when returning to your office or home. Things might seem more normal now, but, we’re simply not there yet. Please be alert and be safe.
For those seeking more detailed stats about COVID-19 in Mohave County, the state of Arizona, and the country, Go Here (this site is always being updated. As of this writing, it may not have the latest cases listed above): https://covid-19-mohave.hub.arcgis.com/.
The Mohave County Department of Public Health makes contact with all confirmed cases and encourages self-isolation for ten days to two weeks, depending on their symptoms and unique work and living situation. Public Health staff then identify the people who have been exposed to the confirmed case (contact tracing) and encourage them to self-isolate until they are past the point of possibly developing the infection. Public Health monitors each confirmed case, and all of their contacts are during their quarantines.
Also, for additional statewide information about the COVID-19 response, go to: https://azdhs.gov/
There remains the problem of an overall lack of interest in wearing a mask, staying home when sick, and true adherence to social distancing. This allows the COVID-19 virus to continue its march through our county. Over confidence is not the best attitude.
Meanwhile, please keep in mind that the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are to:
*Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when unable to social distance.
*Maintain Social Distancing (at least 6 Feet apart!)
*Stay at home if at all possible.
* Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
* Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
* Stay home when you are sick, or if you are a not an essential employee.
* Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then immediately throw the tissue in the trash.
* Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
*Beware of false rumors and attempts to discredit COVID-19. It is not a hoax. Check reliable sources when new information comes out.
COVID-19 spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms are thought to appear within two to 14 days after exposure and consist of fever, cough, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. For people with mild illness, individuals are asked to stay home, drink plenty of fluids, and get rest. For people with more severe symptoms, such as shortness of breath, individuals are advised to seek healthcare, using telemedicine where available.