ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Health Department on Friday announced the fifth COVID-related death this week.
According to a press release, the death occurred within the past 24 hours.
This latest death makes 72 since the first was reported in April 2020 and the 19th for the month of January. There were also 15 to pass away in October and 13 in December.
The Health Department reported two deaths on Monday, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday.
Judging from previous reports, the county resident died at a healthcare facility other than a hospital, with that total rising to 18. Fifty patients have died in hospitals after being diagnosed with the coronavirus and four have passed away outside of a healthcare setting.
The race and gender breakdown is as follows: 13 African American females, 12 African American males, two “other race” females, one “other race,” male, one Hispanic female, two American Indian males, 22 Caucasian females and 19 Caucasian males.
All patients have been between the ages of 31 and 95: 21 have been 80 or older; 22 have been in their 70s; 20 in their 60s; eight in their 50s; and one who was 31.
It appears the latest death as that of a Caucasian male in his 60s.
The statewide COVID-19 death toll has topped 9,000, with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reporting 9,042 on Jan. 28 — 326 more than the previous day.Friday’s statistics have not yet been released as of this writing.
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of 10:43 a.m. Jan. 29 there have been 433,431 COVID-related deaths in the U.S. and 2,194,204 globally.
Hospitalizations because of the virus have been declining in recent days in Richmond County and across the state.
As of Thursday, there were 417 active cases in the county, with 17 residents hospitalized.
