LAKEWOOD – A third patient at Western State Hospital has died due to COVID-19, the Department of Social and Health Services announced.
The patient had been at a local hospital for several weeks due to COVID-19 symptoms and succumbed to the virus on Christmas Eve.
“We are saddened that this virus has taken another one of our patients,” said Sean Murphy, Assistant Secretary for DSHS’ Behavioral Health Administration.
The first patient from Western State Hospital passed away in March due to the virus. A second also died last week. Currently, there are eight staff and three patients from Western who are positive with COVID-19. This data is updated regularly on the DSHS website.
All staff at Western State Hospital are provided appropriate PPE; patients exhibiting symptoms or who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been moved to COVID wards, and staff movement from ward to ward has been limited to slow the spread of the disease.
The COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Western State Hospital last week and already more than 600 frontline workers have been vaccinated with the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. DSHS worked with its partner agency, the Department of Health, and applied to receive vaccines for its frontline staff deemed to be at most risk of exposure to the virus. Receiving the vaccine by DSHS staff is voluntary.
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