COVID-19 claims 25th San Juan County victim

A man in his 70s from the Mexican Hat area is the latest victim of COVID-19 in San Juan County. He passed away during the past week, bringing the total to 25 local residents who have passed away with due to the disease since March.

There are currently 118 active COVID-19 cases in the county, with more than half (62) in the Blanding area. The total includes 26 active cases in the Montezuma Creek area, 16 in the Monument Valley area, six in the Bluff area, five in the Mexican Hat area, and three in the Monticello area.

Since the coronavirus arrived in San Juan County in March, there have been 653 verified cases. Of that total, 510 (78 percent) are considered recovered. 

The coronavirus swept through the Navajo Nation portion of the county in the early months. Recently, the number of new cases has been evenly split on and off the reservation.

The death toll has been very high in San Juan County, with 25 deaths among the 15,450 residents of the county. In contrast, there have also been 25 deaths in the Southwest Utah Health District, with a population of 243,853, including a significant number of at-risk residents.  

The local death rate is nearly 16 times higher than the death rate in Southwest Utah.

The new school year is set to start on August 20, but plans have yet to be finalized. Updated plans are set to be announced at the August 12 meeting of the San Juan School Board.