Rhode Island Department of Health reports state’s initial deaths from COVID-19

Elderly patients are first to succumb to virus

Posted

PROVIDENCE – Two persons with underlying medical conditions are the first Rhode Islanders to die from COVID-related illness, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) confirmed Saturday, March 28. One individual in their 80s died Friday, March 27, at night and the other individual in their 70s died today.

Governor Gina M. Raimondo and Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, were scheduled to comment on the deaths at their news briefing at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Rhode Island COVID-19 data as of March 27, also available online.

  • Number of Rhode Island COVID-19 positive (including presumptive positive) cases: 203
  • Number of Rhode Islanders who had negative test results: 2,306
  • Number of people who are currently instructed to self-quarantine in Rhode Island: approximately 2,500

  

Distribution of Rhode Island COVID-19 patients by city/town of residence:

  • Barrington – 5
  • Bristol – fewer than 5
  • Burrillville – fewer than 5
  • Central Falls – fewer than 5
  • Charlestown – fewer than 5
  • Coventry – 5
  • Cranston – 21
  • Cumberland – 7
  • East Greenwich – 0
  • East Providence – 9
  • Exeter – 0
  • Foster – fewer than 5
  • Glocester – 0
  • Hopkinton – fewer than 5
  • Jamestown – fewer than 5
  • Johnston – 5
  • Lincoln – fewer than 5
  • Little Compton – 0
  • Middletown – 6
  • Narragansett – fewer than 5
  • New Shoreham – 0
  • Newport – 5
  • North Kingstown – 8
  • North Providence – fewer than 5
  • North Smithfield – fewer than 5
  • Pawtucket – 9
  • Portsmouth – fewer than 5
  • Providence – 57
  • Richmond – 0
  • Scituate – fewer than 5
  • Smithfield – fewer than 5
  • South Kingstown – 8
  • Tiverton – fewer than 5
  • Warren – fewer than 5
  • Warwick – 11
  • West Greenwich – 0
  • West Warwick – fewer than 5
  • Westerly – 5
  • Woonsocket – fewer than 5

 

Number of Rhode Island COVID-19 patients who are currently hospitalized:

  • 28

 

Data notes:

  • The number of negative test results increased significantly between yesterday and today because RIDOH is now counting the negative test results at RIDOH’s State Health Laboratories and at private and hospital laboratories. Outside laboratories do not normally report negative test results to RIDOH. The previous negative totals were only for the State Health Laboratories. The positive and negative totals are now cumulative numbers for all laboratories testing for Rhode Islanders.
  • As the volume of cases increases, RIDOH may move to providing abbreviated data updates daily and more detailed data updates weekly.
  • The number of COVID-19 patients in a city or town should not be used to draw any conclusions about relative risk in different cities and towns. All Rhode Islanders should continue to take all the COVID-19 precautions that have been shared by RIDOH.

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.