PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ — Yavapai County health officials announced Monday that the county now has 128 confirmed COVID-19 cases -- 35 more than since the last time the county reported, and after testing was completed at an area school.
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The new spike in cases comes largely from testing done at Mingus Mountain Academy, an all-girls alternative learning school in the Prescott Valley area, according to Yavapai County Community Health Services.
Mingus Mountain is a "Joint Commission-accredited residential treatment center for emotionally and behaviorally at-risk adolescent girls."
The county says it is “working closely with Mingus Mountain Academy coordinating testing, supplying PPE and advising next steps.”
Mingus Mountain Academy released the following statement through YCCHS:
At Mingus Mountain Academy, we have continued to take steps to mitigate the risks of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Unfortunately, despite those efforts, we are currently addressing a cluster of cases on our campus. We are grateful that thus far no one is showing any severe symptoms of the disease.
However, we are monitoring the situation closely, and students and staff with positive test results are currently in isolation and receiving the best care possible. We wish them all a speedy recovery. As always, the health and safety of our students and employees remains our top priority. We are very appreciative of the support of our county public health officials and continue to follow all public health and CDC guidance for COVID-19. Our program is following a stringent screening process for all individuals on our campus to confirm no one else is showing potential symptoms of this virus. We also continue to keep our referral partners informed and are committed to taking whatever steps necessary to prevent further spread of this virus at Mingus.
According to the Yavapai County Health Director, 40 of 60 students tested for COVID-19 tested positive. Eight staff members also tested positive, with 120 additional students and staff that have not yet been tested. So far no hospitalizations have come from these cases.
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The school operates four group homes, with two in Prescott Valley and two in the Phoenix area. So far no case data has been provided for the Phoenix area campuses. ABC15 has reached out for that information.
Yavapai County has tested 2,632 residents total, resulting in 128 positive cases, with 11 people recovered and two deaths reported. Yavapai County has a population of 210,000 people. In comparison, Navajo County has a population of 110,000 and now has 800 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
