Shasta County is facing a surge in COVID-19 deaths.
The county reports 70 people have died from the disease since the pandemic began. Twenty-three of those deaths – or about 33 percent – were reported this month alone. Donnell Ewert, director of the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, said in an update Wednesday that the surge followed a spike in cases after Thanksgiving.
“We have been reporting deaths nearly every day,” Ewert said. “Oftentimes multiple deaths, and the numbers have gone up quite dramatically. So, of course this is a terrible outcome for our community, and we pass on our condolences to all the family members.”
Ewert said the community can do more to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He urged residents to wear their face coverings in public and refrain from gathering with people outside their households.