Clark County Health Department Reports Fourth Death in Clark County Due to Coronavirus
Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 -- 2:23 PM
-The Clark County Health Department is confirming that a fourth Clark County resident has died due to the novel coronavirus disease.This is the county’s fourth COVID-19 death in less than two weeks. All of these individuals were over the age of 65. At this time, the CCHD is not releasing any further information out of respect for the deceased and their loved ones. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to these families and everyone affected by COVID-19.
To date, Clark County has had 20 lab-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. The first confirmed case was on March 25th. The last 12 of the total 20 cases had been in close contact with one another.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, and National Vital Statistics System, “In public health emergencies, mortality surveillance provides crucial information about population-level disease progression, as well as guides the development of public health interventions and assessment of their impact. One of the most important methods of mortality surveillance is through monitoring causes of death as reported on death certificates. The death certificate provides essential information about the deceased and the cause(s) and circumstances of death. The immediate cause of death, which is the disease or condition that directly preceded death, is not necessarily the underlying cause of death (UCOD). In many cases, COVID-19 will be the UCOD, as it can lead to various life-threatening conditions, such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Not all conditions present at the time of death have to be reported--only those conditions that actually contributed to death. Survival from COVID-19 can be complicated by pre-existing chronic conditions, especially those that result in diminished lung capacity, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. These medical conditions do not cause COVID-19, but can increase the risk of contracting a respiratory infection and death.”
In the future, the CCHD may not issue a press release for all deaths due to COVID-19. The staff at the CCHD are working hard to protect the county and our community members. Staff members will continue to focus on keeping everyone safe by responding to and following up with COVID-19 cases and contact tracing, along with keeping the community upto-date on current information. Clark County COVID-19 numbers/case counts (positive test results, hospitalizations, deaths, etc.), will continue to be updated daily on our Facebook page and on the Clark County website: https://www.clarkcountywi.com/. If you have questions or concerns regarding COVID-19, please call the CCHD at 715-743-5105 and select 9 for the COVID19 line.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.