Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Friday there were four COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours in Suffolk County. This brings to seven the total number of deaths due to the novel coronavirus.
Three of the individuals — two age 96 and one age 97 — were residents at Peconic Landing in Greenport, Bellone said. Details about the fourth case were withheld pending family notification, he said.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Suffolk County has lately increased sharply, due to a rapid rise in the availability of testing, Bellone said.
As of Thursday, there were 371 confirmed cases reported in the county, out of a total of 7,102 statewide. There is one confirmed case of COVID-19 for an individual from Shelter Island.
[UPDATE: As of Friday evening, there were 459 confirmed cases in Suffolk County out of a total of 5,151 statewide. The breakdown by town is:
Babylon: 68
Brookhaven: 54
East Hampton: 4
Huntington: 97
Islip: 85
Riverhead: 9
Shelter Island: 1
Smithtown: 29
Southampton: 11
Southold: 64
Unavailable: 37]
Peconic Landing
Peconic Landing said in a statement Friday that the residents were a 97-year-old woman cared for at The Shores for Skilled Nursing, a 96-year-old man cared for at Harbor South for Memory Support, and a 96-year-old woman, also residing at The Shores who died Wednesday, but was not diagnosed with COVID-19 until Thursday.
All three had underlying medical conditions and were residents of the Health Center. It’s home to 86 individuals who live in the four care areas.
The Health Center is “where COVID-19 was first detected on campus March 10th in a per-diem employee who had unknowingly been exposed to the virus,” Peconic Landing said.
At the Health Center, 12 others have tested positive for the virus, the statement said. One is in a hospital. No one in Peconic Landing’s 301-resident independent living area tested positive, the statement said
“On behalf of the entire Peconic Landing community, we offer our deepest thoughts and condolences to the families and loved ones these members leave behind,” said Carol Hance, chair of Peconic Landing’s Board of Trustees.
“The detection and spread of COVID-19 on our campus has been unprecedented,” she said. “Our team has acted swiftly, beginning planning for a possible response in February and implementing these enhanced precautions starting March 2.”
“We will continue to implement and enhance all guidelines offered by officials at county, state, and federal levels to secure and provide our members with the best response possible.”