Coronavirus (Image provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

A second Franklin County resident has now died after contracting COVID-19.

County Public Health officials reported on Wednesday that an 85-year-old man had died. County Manager Donna Kissane said the man was not a nursing home resident. The man was not identified.

“Public Health extends our sincere condolences to the family and friends of this gentleman. Our hearts are with them,” Public Health Program Improvement Specialist Erin Streiff said in an email Wednesday. “We also implore our community to please continue to wear masks, maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet when around anyone outside of your household, and stay home when sick. We need to do our best to avoid future preventable deaths such as this.”

After the county’s announcement of a second death on Wednesday, Streiff said “it will not be regular practice to do a distinct press release for each additional death moving forward” because it’s anticipated that more deaths will happen before there’s an effective vaccine that can be distributed widely. The Essex County Health Department also hasn’t issued a press release for every death, though representatives of the department have been available to answer questions each time a death has occurred.

Franklin County’s first COVID-related death was reported on Monday by the Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, which operates the Alice Center nursing home. An 89-year-old woman, who had lived at the Alice Center only since Oct. 29, died on Sunday from complications related to COVID-19.

The Alice Center reported Oct. 30 that two of its residents, as well as an employee, had tested positive for COVID-19. Prior to these positives, residents were only tested if they experienced symptoms, were being discharged to the hospital or going to the hospital for a procedure, or if a staff member tested positive, according to Alice Hyde spokesman Phillip Rau. The two residents who recieved results on Oct. 30 were either being discharged or had been experiencing symptoms. More specific information can’t be provided because of federal privacy laws.

The Alice Center’s employees have been getting routine testing on a weekly basis for the past few months, per state Department of Health guidelines, according to Rau.

Since the positives were uncovered, all residents of the facility have been tested for COVID-19, according to Rau. As of Wednesday, 13 residents and 16 employees had tested positive.

The county reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of known active cases to 50, including one person hospitalized in another county. The number doesn’t include another person who tested positive but is currently isolating in Canada, according to Kissane.

Of the 257 cases of COVID-19 countywide since March — 146 of them test-confirmed, 111 suspected but not test-confirmed — 201 are considered recovered. Many people who contract COVID-19 report experiencing symptoms for weeks or months after they’re considered recovered from the illness.

Neighboring Essex County reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing its current number of known active cases to 11.

Statewide, the positivity rate rose to 3.09% on Monday, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. That’s the highest it’s been since May 2.

At least 1,548 people are now hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide. Of those, 296 are listed as being in intensive care.

“While New York’s COVID positivity remains the third-lowest in the nation, we continue to see increases in both new positive cases and hospital admissions, demonstrating we are not immune to the surge we are seeing throughout the rest of the nation,” Cuomo said. “While we may be tired of COVID, it is not tired of us. It’s clear that COVID fatigue and a lack of compliance leads to viral spread, so it’s more important than ever that as we prepare for winter, each of us stays smart and New York Tough by taking simple everyday actions like washing hands, wearing masks and socially distancing. Likewise, local governments need to be vigilant and actively enforce public health law throughout the state.”