OLEAN, N.Y. — Cattaraugus County reported its first death of a resident with COVID-19 on Tuesday.
In addition, a 31st county resident, a woman from the southwest part of the county, was confirmed with the coronavirus Tuesday.
Cattaraugus County Public Health Director Dr. Kevin Watkins said the 77-year-old man from the northeast section of the county, died at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.
“I really want to extend deepest condolences to the gentleman’s family and to the Cattaraugus County community,” Watkins said.
The man, who was not publicly identified, had extensive underlying health conditions. Watkins said the man was unable to overcome respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19, which stemmed from his exposure to the novel coronavirus.
He was the 25th county resident who was confirmed with COVID-19, testing positive shortly after he was admitted to the hospital on April 12. There are now 30 positive cases in the county.
Cattaraugus County was among the last of a handful of counties in the state to report its first case of COVID-19 on March 27. It is the last Western New York county to report its first death from the virus.
Watkins said the latest positive case was a woman who had contact with a positive COVID-19 case and was complaining of shortness of breath.
More than 577 county residents have been tested, with 508 of them testing negative. There were 114 people in mandatory quarantine as of Tuesday, Watkins said.
“The good news in all this is that we have a large number of residents recovering from COVID-19,” Watkins said. “It is a turning point. With 19 residents having recovered, that is more than half of the 31 with coronavirus.”
Most all of the residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 were quarantined in their homes with their family, Watkins said. That most were not hospitalized is an indication that they had mild cases, he said.
Health Department nurses check with those in quarantine twice a day, including once in person. They are checked for temperature and any symptoms.
The public health director said COVID-19 “can overtake you in no time at all.” Despite extensive medical treatment, it is often difficult to overcome underlying health conditions like hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and those with compromised immune systems. The elderly are already vulnerable and the disease can be very detrimental to them, he added, urging them to continue to avoid being out where they could contract the infection.
It is important for residents to recognize the coronavirus is in the community, where it has spread. “We’ve only had a few positive cases, but it is still important for those with underlying health conditions to be extremely careful and stay at home,” Watkins said.
With about 1,000 test kits available, the county Health Department, Olean General Hospital and Universal Primary Care are ramping up testing. Currently fewer than 600 COVID-19 tests have been administered here.
