First Thurston County resident dies of COVID-19 complications
A Thurston County resident has died due to complications related to COVID-19, county Public Health and Social Services announced Saturday. This is the first COVID-19 related death confirmed in the county.
The man who died was in his 80s, was admitted to an Olympia hospital March 28 and died April 3, according to a county press release. Thurston public health officials believe the man acquired COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus, outside the county.
Thurston County Public Health is not releasing any further details about the patient “out of respect for next of kin,” according to the press release.
As of Saturday, the department did not have access to the patient’s full medical record in order to report whether the man had any underlying health conditions, Thurston County Public Health Director Schelli Slaughter told The Olympian in a phone interview. If the department does learn whether the man had underlying conditions, it will report that, she said.
Public health officials believe older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
“On behalf of the Thurston County Board of Health and all of us at Public Health and Social Services, we send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones. Our hearts are also with the hospital staff that cared for him who are working so hard on the front lines every day during this difficult time,” said Slaughter, in a prepared statement.
The county’s total number of confirmed positive cases grew to 64 with six new cases announced Saturday. The newest cases are:
- a woman in her 20s;
- a woman in her 40s;
- a man in his 40s;
- a woman in her 50s;
- a man in his 50s; and
- a woman in her 70s.
So far, one of the patients in Thurston is 19 or younger, five are in their 20s, seven are in their 30s, 15 are in their 40s, 14 are in their 50s, 18 are in their 60s, two are in their 70s, and two are in their 80s.
County Public Health staff continue to investigate new cases by interviewing each confirmed case and contacting the person’s close contacts based on those interviews, according to Thurston County spokesperson Meghan Porter.
“This tragic death reminds us all to remain vigilant about social distancing, not only to protect ourselves, but also to protect others in our community,” Thurston County Health Officer, Dr. Diana Yu, said in a prepared statement. “We are very thankful to everyone that is helping us to slow the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home and 6 feet away from others because that will save lives and prevent more sad days like this.”
As of Saturday afternoon, there were more than 7,500 confirmed positive cases statewide with 310 deaths, according to the state Department of Health. Of nearly 88,000 tests, about 8.6% have come back positive. However, the state has acknowledged it’s struggling to keep its data up-to-date due to technical difficulties.
The U.S. has surpassed 300,000 confirmed cases, Johns Hopkins University data show, and leads the world in number of cases confirmed.
More than 1.1 million cases had been confirmed worldwide as of Saturday afternoon.
HOW TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
▪ Stay home.
▪ If you have to go out in the community, keep a distance of 6 feet or more between you and other people.
▪ If you work, work from home if you can.
▪ Avoid contact with people who are sick.
▪ Wash your hands with soap and water, often.
▪ Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
▪ Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
▪ If you are sick, stay home and avoid close contact with others.
Source: Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
This story was originally published April 4, 2020 at 3:15 PM.
.jpg)