A seventh person in Lee County has died from COVID-19-related complications, the Lee County Health Department announced today. The person was hospitalized at Central Carolina Hospital, and no other information was released by the county or the hospital.

The death was reported this morning, and CCH officials say the hospital currently has four patients being treated for COVID-19. According to a press release from the county, CCHS and the health department are working together to “provide support and information locally to help treat individuals and slow the spread of the virus.”

The county reported its sixth death just three days ago, and on that same day, it surpassed the 600-case mark of people who have had or currently have the virus. About 433 of the 600-plus cases have recovered from the virus, and the other 170-plus patients are either currently being monitored by the county or are being treated by a health care provider.

“We are saddened to announce another death in Lee County related to COVID-19,” said Heath Cain, LCG health department director. “We offer sincere condolences to the family and friends of this individual and ask the community to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  This highly contagious virus continues to be a serious risk to public health and safety and we encourage everyone to follow the recommendations of the CDC and NCDHHS that include wearing a mask in public, watching your distance to remain six feet or more away from others, and washing hands thoroughly and frequently.”

Individuals feeling sick are reminded to please stay home and away from others; call your primary care physician who is able to help assess your symptoms and provide additional guidance.

There will be a drive-thru community COVID-19 testing event taking place Tuesday, June 23, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center located at 1801 Nash Street in Sanford.  The public is strongly encouraged to pre-register by calling (919) 542-4991, ext. 1015 for English and ext. 1016 for Spanish.