Spokane County COVID-19 death toll rises

SPOKANE -- Spokane County health and emergency management officials have announced a second death resulting from the spread of the novel coronavirus and the disease it carries COVID-19.

In a joint release this afternoon, Spokane Regional Health District and Spokane Emergency Management said a woman in her 50s died as a result of the disease. Yesterday, a man in his 80s became the first victim of the pandemic that resulted in 4,310 confirmed cases and 189 deaths in Washington, including 108 confirmed cases in Spokane County and the two deaths.

The most recent update from the state Department of Health (March 28) revealed six confirmed cases in Adams County and six in Whitman County.

According to the county release, people most at risk have underlying health conditions, are over the age of 60, or health care workers and first responders who were in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 AND have symptoms:

• Cough, AND

• Fever

• Shortness of breath

If you think you are at risk of exposure to COVID-19 or have symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, call ahead before you go to your healthcare provider, urgent care, or the emergency department. You can also call your health insurance’s nurse hotline or triage; the number can be found on their website or on the back of your insurance card. If you do not have a health provider or insurance, and you meet the above high-risk criteria, visit the COVID-19 Screening Center at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds, open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

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