2 more deaths in Ulster, 1 in Dutchess
2 residents of Kingston nursing home, staffer at Woodland Pond test positive
Two more Ulster County residents and one more Dutchess County resident have died from the coronavirus, and two residents of the Golden Hill nursing home in Kingston have tested positive for the virus, county officials said Tuesday.
Also, a member of the directcare assisted-living staff at Woodland Pond, a retirement community in New Paltz, has the virus, according to the facility’s website.
In a press release Tuesday afternoon, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said the two county residents who died were a 49-year-old man from New Paltz and a 55-year-old man from Plattekill. The executive did not say when the men died or whether they had any underlying health problems.
The deaths bring Ulster Coun
ty’s total from the virus to three. A 76-year-old Plattekill man died from the virus on Sunday.
“On behalf of the 180,000 residents of Ulster County, my deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the individuals that we have lost,” Ryan said. “These tragic deaths are a stark reminder that we must all do our part to ensure we stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health said Tuesday evening that a 52-year-old man with the virus died earlier in the day at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. The department did not say where in the county the man lived or provide any additional information about him. His was the fourth virus-related death in Dutchess.
There also have been 19 coronavirus-related deaths in Orange County, two in Sullivan County and one in Columbia County.
One of the Orange County residents who died recently was Sue Prokosch, vice president of the Newburgh Enlarged City School District Board of Education and a longtime former teacher in the district.
Prokosch, 72, had underlying health issues, according to people who knew her.
Woodland Pond said on its website that the staff member who tested positive for the virus last worked in the facility’s assisted-living unit on March 24.
Residents of Woodland Pond, which is off North Putt Corners Road in New Paltz, live either independently, in assisted-living units or in nursing care.
In an email Tuesday, Ulster County Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith said that, “given the high-risk nature of COVID-19 to our senior populations, we are taking additional precautions and working with Golden Hill, along with other nursing and assisted-living facilities, to ensure the health and safety of all of the residents and staff .... ”
Smith said the Golden Hill cases are “another reminder of the severity of the situation and the need for all of us to take all precautions necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
“We will continue to work around the clock to flatten the curve, and we ask all residents to do their part in keeping our community safe,” she said.
No details about the affected Golden Hill residents were provided.
Jason Newman, corporate director for Golden Hill’s parent company, Vestracare, said the facility “has been preparing for various scenarios over the past several weeks. As a result, we are equipped and prepared to address every situation.”
Golden Hill has activated “COVID response protocol, we are in touch with all residents, and their families, and are confident in our leadership and staff and remain dedicated to our residents,” Newman said in a prepared statement.
Jessica Ladlee, a representative of the Civil Service Employees Association, which represents most employees at Golden Hill, said she had “no firsthand knowledge” of any cases of the virus among staff at the facility.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ulster County.
The New York Department of Health on Tuesday reported 75,795 cases of the virus statewide, including 43,139 in New York City, 1,556 in Orange County, 484 in Dutchess County, 109 in Sullivan County, 30 in Columbia County and 16 in Greene County.
Numbers provided by some counties differed, though. Greene County said on Tuesday that its case total was 20, while Dutchess reported 396.
Dutchess County said that of its total cases, nine people have recovered. Greene County said six people had been “cleared.”
Ryan did not have the number of recovered individuals in Ulster County.
Ryan also said most county residents seem to be adhering to what are now voluntary social-distancing guidelines but that he is “looking at enforcement” and making the distancing recommendations mandatory if necessary.
He said the county is encouraging residents to “think and act with the most vulnerable in the community in mind.”
Ryan said he’d rather not have to turn to law enforcement but has discussed the concept with the county attorney.
Dutchess County, meanwhile, has launched an online dashboard that shows countywide and town-bytown totals of confirmed coronavirus cases.
The “Dutchess County COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard,” at bit. ly/2yoMqRM, also has information about testing, hospitalizations, deaths and recoveries, as well as 911 and hotline call volumes. It is similar to the dashboard Ulster County launched last week, at bit.ly/3ajOys8.