Coronavirus Death Rate Slowing Slightly In Rockland County

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — The coronavirus continues to cause deaths in Rockland County, but the fatality rate appears to be slowing slightly.

After 65 deaths from COVID-19 in January, Rockland has seen the death toll rise by 31 so far in February, to 867 as of Feb. 18.

Since the pandemic began last March, Rockland's death toll has been among the highest in the Hudson region, where 4,352 people have died. The death toll reported on county dashboards as of Thursday:

• Dutchess: 398
• Orange: 701
• Putnam: 84
• Rockland: 867
• Ulster: 226
• Westchester: 2,202

As of Thursday morning, the United States had reported more than 490,700 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to Johns Hopkins University.

"The summer case surge in young people was followed by a winter uptick in elderly deaths," Vox.com reported, saying that nationwide, almost 9 in 10 of those who died so far were age 60 and older.