Fourth COVID-19-Related Death in Dutchess

A fourth Dutchess County resident died after testing positive for the coronavirus. The 52-year-old man died Tuesday at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) announced Tuesday evening.

"We all have a responsibility to stay healthy in order to protect the most vulnerable among us. As the death toll rises, remember that our smallest actions can be lifesaving, or life-threatening," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said in a statement. "The death of a fourth neighbor here in Dutchess serves as a harsh reminder that there is nowhere in our county untouched by coronavirus."

The 52-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with shortness of breath last week and had not previously been known to the DBCH, which has been monitoring individuals potentially exposed to the virus. Additional information about the man was not made available due to privacy concerns.

Dutchess County has 396 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday. A 61-year-old man was the first COVID-19-related death reported in Dutchess County on Sunday, March 22. A 71-year-old man died on Wednesday, March 25 and another 61-year-old man died on Sunday, March 29.

Dutchess County launched a dashboard tracking coronavirus cases in the region listing cases by town and updating the numbers of individuals tested, hospitalized, recovered or deceased. Molinaro will host a Facebook Live Town Hall on Thursday, April 2 at 5:30PM.