MOHAVE COUNTY – While many attempt to put COVID-19 in their rear-view mirror, Department of Public Health Director Denise Burley is mindful that coronavirus cases are still prevalent in northwest Arizona.
“Across all of Mohave County there’s been an increase in cases from May to June of about 80%,” Burley said during Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting in Kingman. “What we’re seeing is no increase in the Bullhead city area, 62.3% increase in the Kingman service area and 268% in the Lake Havasu City service area.”
Burley did not explain the surge in Lake Havasu or lack of same in Bullhead City.
Burley said that 67,300 residents have been fully vaccinated but that a 37.1% vaccination rate for Mohave is not impressive when compared to nearby counties. She expressed concern that the highly transmissive Delta variant of the virus has made its presence known locally.
“As of the 1st of July, Mohave County represented 25.4% of the Delta variants detected in Arizona,” Burley said. “27% of those cases were hospitalizations, 6% of those cases died. 9% were breakthrough cases, meaning that person was fully vaccinated and still acquired the virus.”
Burley told supervisors that the county’s contact tracing efforts were compromised from the onset of the pandemic, noting that 45% of the infected population could not be contacted or would not respond to communication and inquiry. She also reiterated that the two-week incubation period created great difficulty in pinpointing source of infection.
“As case numbers grew it was becoming very difficult to actually identify where someone acquired the virus because it was so widespread,” she said. “The most common source of infection was within the household.”
Other infection sources she said included assisted living centers, long term care facilities, hospitals, outpatient facilities, RV parks, detention facilities, businesses, places of employment, private social gatherings and religious centers.
Board Chairman Buster Johnson expressed disappointment that local contact tracing activity didn’t produce more specific information. He said there was hope it would pinpoint which facilities and restaurants were infection spreaders, but that the virus tracking campaign really just illuminated the obvious.
Burley responded that contact tracing is important work that should continue.
Other supervisors expressed appreciation and complimented Burley, her department and all county employees who’ve played roles in the pandemic.
“My hat’s off to you. I appreciate everything you guys did. I knew it was an extremely stressful and troubling time,” said District 1 supervisor Travis Lingenfelter. He said the challenge for everyone was fighting the pandemic while the nation endured economic and social crises.
“I think it’s telling that you didn’t have the mass exodus that you had in some other places,” District 5 supervisor Ron Gould told Burley. “You guys hung in there when you were needed and stayed the course and I appreciate that.”
Burley told board members that the county worked hard to communicate and coordinate internally and externally with the state and federal government and community partners. Yet, she said the county should challenge itself to do better going forward.
Burley said it will be important for local health officials to work with their counterparts across the state to work through the pandemic and be better prepared for the future.
“We can all learn from one another as to what worked well or what didn’t,” Burley said. She said there’s need to improve and standardize data bases and reporting protocols to generate information that is more consistent and useful.
Dave Hawkins