Ten more Grant County COVID-19 deaths announced
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 29, 2020 7:15 PM
MOSES LAKE — Grant County Health District officials announced Tuesday the deaths of 10 more people due coronavirus infection, bringing the total in the county to 83.
Seven people were residents of long term care facilities. Five lived at McKay Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Soap Lake. They included two women in their 90s, two women in their 80s and a man in his 50s. Sixteen residents of McKay have died as a result of coronavirus infection.
One resident of Lake Ridge Center in Moses Lake died, a man in his 80s. That brings the total number of Lake Ridge Center residents who died from COVID-19 to 17, with one additional death pending review.
A man in his 70s, a resident of Columbia Crest Center, also died. Ten people have died at Columbia Crest as a result of coronavirus, and two more deaths are pending review.
Three of the deaths were not associated with long term care facilities. Those were Moses Lake residents, men in their 60s, who had underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk for complications, according to a GCHD press release.
Health district officials delay announcement of coronavirus deaths to give families time to notify other family members. The GCHD also verifies coronavirus is listed on the death certificate.
Vaccines have been developed for coronavirus, and vaccinations began in Grant County Dec. 17. Supply is still limited, however, and state officials have established a priority list.
The highest priority is being given to high-risk workers in health care settings like doctors and nurses, high-risk first responders and “residents and staff of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other community-based, congregate living settings where most residents are over the age of 65,” the GCHD press release said.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with Walgreens and CVS pharmacies to offer on-site vaccinations at long term care facilities through the “Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care” program. Most Grant County long term care residents and staff will receive vaccinations through that program.
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