PORT ANGELES – To date (Friday), all seven people killed by COVID-19 on the North Olympic Peninsula – most women – were at least 70. Most were in their 80s.
That changed with the eighth death, reports Friday morning.
A Clallam County man in his fifties who contracted the virus while traveling outside the state died at home this week, Clallam County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry, said at her regular Friday briefing.
It was the sixth death of the virus reported in Clallam County since Aug. 16. Two died in Jefferson County on Nov. 25 and no one in 2021.
But even though Clallam remains the most vaccinated country in the state and “well within” the moderate-rate category for viral infections, Berry said the man’s passing is a sign that residents of the North Olympic Peninsula should be vigilant. continue to practice wearing masks in public safety protocols.
“It’s a critical reminder that COVID-19 is still very much alive and well, especially outside our community, even though we still have it here,” Berry said.
“This is a critical reminder of how serious this infection can be, even for younger people.”
There has been one death per month in Clallam and Jefferson County since August due to the virus.
A woman in her 90s and a woman in her 80s died in Jefferson County in November and December.
Three women in their 80s, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s have died since Clallam County.
Just like the man whose death was reported Friday, most had underlying conditions, or age was a factor.
Clallam County, which scored the 1,000 cases in the last week of February since the first case was reported on March 18, 2020, stood at 1,011 cases as of Friday, Berry said.
This is an increase of one reported case since Thursday.
Thirty percent of Clallam County residents received at least one shot of the two-dose vaccine and 18 percent were fully vaccinated, Berry said.
As of Thursday, 336 residents of Jefferson County have contracted the virus since the first confirmed case was reported on March 6, 2020.
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Senior author Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or by [email protected].