Clark County Public Health reported 44 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death on Friday as cases continue to surge statewide.
The fatality was reported as a man in his 60s, according to health officials. They said it has not been determined whether he had any underlying health conditions.
The man’s death brings the total of those killed by COVID-19 in Clark County to 34. As of Friday, 1,434 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in the county.
Also Friday, Beaches Restaurant & Bar owner Mark Matthias announced in a Facebook post that two employees at the popular waterfront restaurant had tested positive for COVID-19. It was not clear if those two were included among the new cases announced Friday. Matthias said the restaurant has sent other healthy team members home for two weeks as a precaution.
“Since mid-March when this pandemic really began to affect all of our lives, we have been doing extensive daily sanitation checklists and have daily health check questions for every team member before every shift,” Matthias said in the post, which outlined a number of other steps the restaurant has been taking. “Bottom line, we are doing everything we can every day to ensure the safety and well-being of our team and every guest.”
The number of people hospitalized at PeaceHealth Southwest and Legacy Salmon Creek medical centers fell to 23 on Friday. There are no people hospitalized awaiting test results, according to Clark County Public Health.
On Thursday, there were 35 people hospitalized either with positive tests or awaiting test results.
The infection rate, which measures the total number of positive test results over a two-week period per 100,000 population, was 57.1. That was down slightly from Thursday but still more than double the level required before the county would qualify to move from Phase 2 into a less restrictive Phase 3 in the state’s reopening plan.
As of Wednesday, 22,514 people have been tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 in Clark County, according to Public Health.