ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Health Department on Tuesday announced the 94th local COVID-related death in just over a year since than pandemic began.
Judging by a press release, the death occurred at a hospital.
According to the Health Department, 67 residents have died while at a hospital, 23 in another healthcare facility and four outside of a health setting.
The race and gender breakdown is as follows: 17 African American females, 13 African American males, two “other race” females, one “other race,” male, two Hispanic females, two American Indian males, 28 Caucasian females and 29 Caucasian males.
All patients have been between the ages of 31 and 95: 26 have been 80 or older; 29 have been in their 70s; 28 in their 60s; 10 in their 50s; and one who was 31.
Judging from previous reports, the latest death appears to be that of an African American man in his 60s.
It’s the second such death within the past two weeks, with the 93rd death reported on April 27. That was the first in more than a month as new cases dwindle.
There have been 41 so far this year, including 13 in February and 23 in January. There were also 15 in October and 13 in December of 2020.
When the Health Department released its first daily update for May on Monday, there were five new cases and four hospitalizations.
There have been 12,691 COVID-related deaths in North Carolina as of May 3, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That’s an increase of 104 in a week.
New daily cases have been relatively low over the past month, only topping 2,500 twice since April 5.
Statewide COVID-related hospitalizations dropped from 1,137 on April 28 to 986 on May 1, but were back to more than 1,000 the following day.
