Second person dies in Colusa

A second coronavirus-related death has been reported in Colusa County.

According to a release issued by Colusa County Health and Human Services, the first death, an 85 year-old male resident of Valley West Care Center, passed away at the Colusa Medical Center on Monday.

“The patient’s underlying health condition was the primary cause of death, with COVID-19 being a contributing cause,” it was stated in a news release.

Information about the second death was not available at the time of publication.

On Monday, county health officials reported a COVID-19 outbreak at Valley West with 30 confirmed active cases, including 16 residents and 14 staff members.

Marcos Kropf, Colusa County counsel, said of the residents that have tested positive for the virus, some are asymptomatic while some others are symptomatic.

“It is our understanding that they have been properly isolated to prevent further spread,” said Kropf. “We do not have specific information on what processes they have put in place for visitors but we suspect that no visitors or guests are allowed in the facility in accordance with state guidelines.”

The county is working with the facility to assist with effectively isolating the infected individuals and to provide additional personal protective equipment for the facility.

According to Kropf, the California Department of Public Health is sending an infection team to Valley West to assess and review their current processes and make any changes as necessary.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were

242 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within Colusa County.

According to health officials, there are currently 84 individuals in isolation, including 5 who are hospitalized and another 133 in quarantine due to possible exposure.