Pretty soon the death notices sent by Dutchess County for very precious lives will be coming in even more quickly. We are publishing them here to serve as a reminder to all of us to stay home. It is so hard to do. It is so hard for this blogger to do. But on your toughest day, or a tough day, when you just want to go out there and hug the world, remember these lives that were lost so quickly. Prayers to those cases and passings we hear about via text from friends who are grieving or worried. Keep the faith, stay strong, stay safe, stay home.

Many people of all ages do have underlying conditions, which is what the virus is seizing: cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, asthma. For those who do not have these underlying conditions, the virus still hurts. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s brother, Chris, has the virus and is speaking openly about his symptoms. His daily high fever. His shakes. His hallucinations. Watch his show on CNN from 9 to 10 pm, as he has broadcast from his basement for two nights in a row, and has dedicated the show to the inside and front lines of the virus. And then of course, shut off the TV, the devices, and do things that make you happy. Retail therapy. Reading. Movie. Petting your furry friend. Weeding outside.

The main messaging has been to protect the elderly, but it also needs to get louder that younger people as well are at risk for not having an easy go with the novel coronavirus AKA COVID-19. On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo closed the state’s public playgrounds because young people were gathering too much. In Beacon, some young people continue to gather for driveway hangouts. Otherwise, Beacon locals have been pretty good about social distancing. Very respectful of each other.

Yesterday, the Record Online published that the VP of the Newburgh School Board, Sue Prokosch, passed away at age 72 due to coronavirus complications. In Putnam County, lohud reported that two people died within the last 24 hours, with 19 people in the hospital with coronavirus, out of a total of 213 cases in Putnam.

In Dutchess County, as of Wednesday (4/1/2020), there are 466 cases.

Here is the message from Dutchess County regarding its fifth confirmed death:

The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) has confirmed the death of a fifth Dutchess County resident related to COVID-19. DBCH confirmed a 68-year-old female died at home today, April 1, 2020. The patient, who had a history of underlying conditions, presented at Vassar Brothers Medical Center's Emergency Room late last week after not feeling well. She returned home and was later informed of a positive COVID-19 result after a test during her hospital visit. The individual had not yet been transferred to DBCH monitoring. Further specific information cannot be provided for privacy reasons.

County Executive Marc Molinaro said, “We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of our Dutchess County neighbor, and we as a community mourn the loss of another resident to this global pandemic. As we released yesterday both countywide coronavirus statistics and information about every local municipality, we remind residents no community has been spared from this virus, reinforcing the message we have spread for weeks: Stay home; stay healthy; stop the spread. As a county, we remain dedicated to fighting the spread of this virus, employing every resource available, and we thank all those — healthcare professionals, first responders, county personnel and others — who have worked tirelessly to protect our residents."

Behavioral and Community Health Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian said, “We implore residents who think they have symptoms of COVID-19 to call their primary-care physician and remain in constant contact to ensure follow-up monitoring can continue. As this pandemic continues to affect hundreds in our community, and will impact even more in the coming days and weeks, we must all take an active part in keeping ourselves healthy and saving lives."

As testing in the county expanded last week, there are now more than 460 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dutchess County, and the numbers are expected to continue to increase. Staying home remains critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and flattening the curve so as not to overwhelm the local healthcare system and ensure everyone can get the care they need.