Health & Fitness
Bedford Coronavirus: First Resident Dies, 43 Positive Cases
The person was in an out-of-town long term care facility, and died in the hospital.
BEDFORD, MA — A Bedford resident died of the coronavirus, the first death from the virus in the town. Bedford officials said the person was in an out-of-town long term care facility, and died in the hospital. There are 43 positive cases of the virus in town.
"Our hearts go out to the family as we understand that losing a loved one is never easy and making arrangements and seeking comfort during these difficult times where social distancing is a must, just add to the heartbreak," the town said in a notice to the community, "Be kind and supportive to one another, and especially the families of those who have lost a loved one or are struggling with sickness."
Nine of the total Bedford cases have already recovered and have come off of isolation and there is currently one known person under investigation.
Find out what's happening in Bedfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Bedford VA reports that the impacted Veterans are being cared for in respiratory isolation in the new community living center ward on the Bedford Campus established specifically for treatment of patients with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and any impacted staff are at home in isolation.
The VA reports that the new ward has staff dedicated exclusively to the patients housed there, following the operational guidelines of both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Veterans Health Administration. The Bedford VA is conducting the close-contact tracing and surveillance of COVID-19 positive residents in their care.
Find out what's happening in Bedfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday the state "is still on the upward slope of this pandemic." Across the state, there has been a total of 503 deaths and 18,941 cases.
On Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker signed three executive orders aimed at expanding the state's health care capacity. One order will allow for an easier transition for foreign-educated doctors to get licensed in Massachusetts, another will allow nursing school graduates and students in their last semester without licenses to practice under supervision and the third requires insurers to cover medical costs during the treatment of the coronavirus at out-of-network hospitals.
Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.
Latest Coronavirus News In MA
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
