Okanogan County records first COVID-19 death

OKANOGAN – The COVID-19 update issued by Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) on Thursday, April 23, reported 19 confirmed cases of the virus – and the county’s first fatality from the disease.

“Okanogan County Public Health and The Colville Tribes is extremely saddened to report the first COVID-19 related death in Okanogan County,” said the OCEM release. “Public health, in partnership with The Colville Tribes, continues to investigate contacts of all persons who test positive in the county.”

While 489 negative results have been reported among the 581 samples tested as of this writing, health authorities remain concerned over the potential for more positive cases.

“As we have reported in the past, due to specific testing criteria and limited testing supplies we believe COVID-19 is more widespread in our County that our confirmed case counts suggest,”

Of the 19 confirmed cases in the county, nine are on the Colville Reservation, five in the Methow Valley, three in the Central Valley from Malott to Riverside, and one each in the North County (Riverside to Oroville) and South County (Malott to Pateros).

Statewide 730 deaths have been reported out of 13,012 confirmed COVID cases as of Friday, April 24.

Sign up for Okanogan County alerts on the OCEM website at okanogandem.org.

The Department of Health call center can be reached at 800-525-0127.

For coronavirus information/education visit coh.wa.gov/emergencies/coronavirus online.