MOHAVE COUNTY – The Mohave County Health Department MCDPH-Nursing staff was notified over the weekend of the death of one of the (previously identified) hospitalized COVID-19 positive cases in the Lake Havasu City service area. The individual was in the 65+ age range. This case was not epidemiologically-linked to another case, nor was it travel-related.
This death is among the 55 total positives in Mohave County. There are 20 positive confirmed cases in the Lake Havasu City area, including the three deaths, 30 in Kingman, and 5 in Bullhead City.
The fifth COVID-19 positive case in the Bullhead City service area was announced over the weekend by the Mohave County Department of Public Health. Communications Director Roger Galloway said the person who is at least 65 years of age was hospitalized and that nursing staff would initiate proper trace contact history activity.
After noting the Bullhead City patient, two more positive cases were announced Friday, bringing to 55 the number of persons infected in the county. The latest cases both involve individuals 20-44 years of age, one each in the Kingman and Lake Havasu City service areas.
The Kingman service area (30) has the most positive cases documented, followed by the Lake Havasu City service area (17) and the Bullhead City service area (5). Health Director Denise Burley told county supervisors last Wednesday that the local case counts are low by comparison with larger cities and that there is insufficient data to try to identify outbreak hot spots.
Supervisor Buster Johnson, during Friday’s special board meeting, asked if uncertainty about the local outbreak timetable might prompt consideration of conducting the August 4 primary election entirely by mail. Burley said she hadn’t yet thought about that, but deputy county attorney Ryan Esplin said current Arizona law would prohibit an all mail election because contests above the municipal and special district level appear on the ballot.
“There’s nothing in the law that allows for the county elections or the state elections or the Presidential elections to be an all mail election,” Esplin said. “The only way that would change is that would have to be a legislative change.”
More than 50% of the county electorate has consistently voted by mail already by exercising an early voting provision. Supervisors said Elections Director Allen Tempert will be requesting special funding for a promotions campaign encouraging more people to vote early to minimize visits to polling places where exposures are possible.
- Dave Hawkins
