Press release from Buncombe County:
A U.S. military Veteran in his 80s who was admitted to the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville has become the hospital’s first inpatient to pass away from COVID-19 complications. The veteran passed away April 9.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the Veteran,” said Stephanie Young, Director of the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System. “The Western North Carolina VA Health Care System family is saddened to lose one of our nation’s heroes. We would like to extend our most heartfelt sympathy to the family and all whose lives have been touched by this Veteran.”
Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) reports this as the second Buncombe County resident to die from COVID-19 associated illness. To protect the privacy of the family, no further information about this patient will be released by BCHHS nor the Charles George VA Medical Center.
“COVID-19 continues to take a toll on our community. We are sad to announce this second COVID-19 related death and our thoughts are with the family at this time. Unfortunately, we believe that this will not be the last time that we are confronted with this kind of information.” said Interim Public Health Director, Dr. Jennifer Mullendore.
It remains important for people in Buncombe County to take the guidance from public health professionals seriously. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) people at high risk for severe medical consequences, including death are:
- People 65 years of age or older
- People of any age who have a high-risk condition that includes:
- chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
- heart disease with complications
- weakened immune system
- severe obesity – body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher
- other underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, such as diabetes, kidney failure or liver disease
- pregnancy – pregnant women should be followed closely by their healthcare providers since they are known to be at risk for severe viral illness.
Buncombe County and all of its municipalities continue to be under a Stay Home, Stay Safe order for all people in Buncombe County. It is imperative that we all comply with the directives of the order, which include no gatherings of any number of people outside of a single household or living unit for any reason and strict guidance to eliminate all non-essential travel, services, or exposure to people outside of your immediate family unit.
At this time, there are a total of 37 lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, including two deaths, in Buncombe County.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.