GCHD announces four more COVID-19 deaths

GRANT COUNTY — The Grant County Health District Wednesday announced the deaths of four more residents as a result of COVID-19.

According to the health district, two of the deaths — a woman in her 80s and another in her 60s — were at McKay Healthcare and Rehab Center in Soap Lake. A third death, a woman in her 80s, was at Lake Ridge Center in Moses Lake.

The fourth death, a Moses Lake man in his 60s, is not associated with a long-term care facility, the health district said.

“All these residents had underlying conditions putting them at higher risk for severe complications due to a COVID-19 infection,” the health district said in a news release.

The deaths bring the county’s total since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to 36, according to the health district.

The health district said the best way to protect the most vulnerable members of the community is to stay home and celebrate the holidays “with only the people you live with.”

“Your choice to gather with those outside your household could lead to additional cases of COVID-19 and even death. Please protect those you love, by staying home,” the health district said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com