Tuolumne County went several months without any COVID-19 deaths. Now it has two
Tuolumne County announced its first two deaths to COVID-19 on Monday, several months into a pandemic that has killed more than 200 people in nearby counties.
One of the residents was a man in his 60s with “no known underlying health conditions,” the Tuolumne County Public Health Department said in a news release. The other was a man in his 80s with “some” underlying issues.
Further details on the men who died were not released because of medical privacy law.
“We want to share our heartfelt condolences with the families and loved ones in this difficult time,” said Dr. Liza Ortiz, interim public health officer for the county. “These deaths are a sobering reminder of the severity of COVID-19.”
Slow start for pandemic in mountains
Tuolumne, with about 55,000 residents, has been relatively late in seeing the effects of the pandemic.
It had just one positive case at the start of April, when neighboring Stanislaus County was already at 125. Stanislaus reported its first death April 10 and is now at 95, with 8,228 of its 550,000 or so residents testing positive.
As of Monday, the virus has killed 118 people in San Joaquin County, 29 in Merced, two in Mariposa and one in Calaveras.
Advice on testing, prevention in Tuolumne
Ortiz reminded residents of the importance of hygiene, wearing face coverings and staying at least 6 feet from non-household members.
‘Our actions affect the lives of those around us and our whole community,” she said. “Tuolumne County must act to slow the rate of transmission and protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community.”
Tuolumne residents can get free COVID-19 testing at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp. It takes place Tuesdays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
