Six Lee County residents died from COVID-19 on Friday, raising the total number of deaths to 73.

Lee County government reported the deaths in a press release Friday. Details about the patients were not released in accordance with federal health privacy laws.

Lee County Heath Director Heath Cain said the deaths were a reminder that even as new cases decrease – the number has declined steadily in each of the last three weeks – the virus should still be taken seriously.

“Please join me in offering our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the six individuals who have most recently passed away from COVID-19,” Cain said. “We have seen significant improvements in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks; however, these deaths are a sad reminder that COVID-19 remains a serious threat to public health and safety. Please help keep your family, friends, and neighbors safe by following the three W’s – Wear, Wait and Wash – and when you are eligible, please consider getting vaccinated.”

The Health Department will expand vaccine registrations to Group 3 essential workers on Monday, March 1, in addition to those individuals in Groups 1 and 2, which includes essential healthcare workers, long-term care facility staff and residents, and adults age 65 and older, as well as teachers and childcare workers who became eligible to receive the vaccine on February 24. Essential workers are asked to please check with their employers before calling to register as some essential businesses are facilitating vaccine registrations for essential employees by providing line lists to the Health Department. The current NCDHHS rollout plan may be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines.

To register for the vaccine with the Lee County Health Department, the public may call (919) 352-3360 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; to speak to someone in Spanish, please call (919) 718-4640, option 8. Due to high call volume, individuals may need to call multiple times to reach a staff member to initiate registration. Alternatively, the public may complete a pre-registration form available online at leecountync.gov/covid19. Individuals that submit a pre-registration form AND are currently eligible to receive the vaccine may expect to receive a call from the Health Department within five business days to complete the registration process and receive information about the next available vaccine clinic. Vaccine supply remains extremely limited. Individuals registering for the vaccine may have to wait up to several weeks to receive their first dose.