MANSFIELD — Richland County’s fourth reported COVID-19 related death was a 90-year-old man who became ill while living in a nursing home or long-term care facility, Richland Public Health reported Wednesday afternoon.
“While the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the world, we are still saddened when a death hits close to home. Our employees wish to express sympathy to his family and friends,” RPH public health educator Reed Richmond said in an e-mail.
It’s the first COVID-19 death in the county since May 21. That case involved a 79-year-old man who also became ill while living in a long-term care facility.
At the time of the third death in Richland County, it was reported that 79 percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths had involved nursing homes, long-term care facilities and the state’s prison system.
At least three of Richland County’s three deaths fall into this category. The county’s first COVID-19 death in April was employed at the Marion Correctional Institution.
At the time of the third death, RPH Commissioner Sarah Humphrey said that Richland County had 60 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases still open, meaning the individual was still ill or local officials did not have a recovery status.
She said 23 of those cases lived in a communal residency — being long-term care, shelter, detention, or correctional setting,” Humphrey said.
Richmond reported that the county has had 201 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases with seven probable cases since the pandemic began.
Of those, 33 have been hospitalized, with 15 of those spending time in ICU. He said 159 people on the list have recovered.
