A third Richmond County patient has died from COVID-19

ROCKINGHAM — A third person in Richmond County died from COVID-19 Saturday, according to the Richmond County Health Department.

The deceased was hospitalized outside of Richmond County after being diagnosed earlier this month.

“Please join us in our sympathy for the family and friends of this resident of Richmond County during this most difficult time,” read a press release from the Health Department Saturday night.

This death comes after weeks of steady growth in Richmond County’s total cases. No county residents have died from the virus since April 16. The county has seen 163 total cases, with 83 currently in isolation, four in the hospital and 73 recovered as of the latest count Monday afternoon.

The third death was not recorded in the county’s daily tally released around 2 p.m. Saturday. It’s unclear if this patient was included in the county’s number of hospitalizations Saturday.

So far in Richmond County, the most deaths have occurred in the 51 to 64 age demographic with 44 total cases in this range.