ROCKINGHAM — As June comes to a close, the Richmond County Health Department reports the first COVID-related death of the month.
Interim Health Director Cheryl Speight issued a press release Monday afternoon announcing that a Richmond County resident died from COVID-related issues within the past 24 hours.
This makes the first such death since May 25 and the 98th since April of 2020.
Deaths have decreased in recent months, with four reported in May.
It appears the unnamed resident died in a hospital, making 73 in that location, according to a press release. Additionally, 20 have passed away in another healthcare facility and five have died outside of a health setting.
According to the Health Department, the race and gender breakdown is as follows: 17 African American females, 14 African American males, two “other race” females, one “other race” male, two Hispanic females, two American Indian males, 29 Caucasian females and 31 Caucasian males.
All patients have been between the ages of 31 and 95: 27 have been 80 or older; 28 have been in their 70s; 28 in their 60s; 11 in their 50s; three in their 40s and one who was 31.
Tommy Jarrell, former health director, previously told the RO that some statistics changed after the Health Department reviewed death certificates.
There have now been 45 so far this year, including 13 in February and 23 in January. There were also 15 in October and 13 in December of 2020.
There have been 13,420 COVID-related deaths in North Carolina as of June 28, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Health Department has reported 80 new cases from June 1-23, averaging around 15 cases per week the past three weeks. New cases are now only reported weekly.
Statewide hospitalizations have been declining over the past month, from 694 on May 27 to 368 on June 27.
The state has been pushing North Carolinians to get vaccinated, even offering four $1 million prizes and four full-paid tuitions. The first winners were announced Monday.
According to DHHS, 33% of Richmond County’s population has been fully vaccinated and 35% is at least partially vaccinated. The county’s goal is 66%.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that of the more than 150 million people who have been vaccinated, there have been 4,115 breakthrough cases — cases where people contract COVID-19 14 or more days after being fully vaccinated.
There have been 3,907 breakthrough-related hospitalizations and 750 deaths. Of those numbers, the CDC says 26% of hospitalizations and 19 percent of fatalities have been “reported as asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19.”
The CDC recommends vaccines for anyone 12 and older. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one currently authorized for those 12-18.
