CHICO — Butte County Public Health announced the first death in the county linked to COVID-19 Monday.
The individual’s name has not been released but it’s been confirmed that they were over 65 years old and had multiple underlying health conditions, said a press release issued Monday by Public Health.
“I’m very sad to announce that we’ve lost one of our community members to this illness,” said Butte County Public Health Director Danette York. “The news hits us hard. This COVID-19 pandemic is a historic public health challenge. Our top priority continues to be protecting the health of our community.”
The release said an investigation into this case showed it may have been spread to the person through the community.
“It continues to be critical that individuals and organizations take action to slow the spread of the virus by following all applicable guidance and recommendations from the Public Health Department, and carefully reviewing new recommendations and direction as it is issued,” the release said.
As of Monday, there have been a total of 51 cases of the novel coronavirus in Butte County, an increase of seven confirmed cases since Friday. According to Public Health’s informational dashboard, 21 people are currently isolated and three are hospitalized. Thirty people who have tested positive have been released from isolation.
A total of 4,059 tests have been reported by Public Health in Butte County.
