Gasconade County Health Department officials announced late Tuesday afternoon the first COVID-19 death of a county resident. No information about the person’s age, gender, or geographic location in the county was released.

“Our hearts and our support are with this individual’s loved ones right now,” the release from Greg Lara, administrator of the county’s Health Department stated. “Out of respect for the family, we will not be providing any additional information other than this was an elderly individual with underlying health conditions.”

Lara went on to acknowledge the virus is taking hold in the county. Positive cases of the coronavirus had increased from 57 positive cases as of Monday afternoon to 60 by Tuesday.

“We knew we couldn’t stop the virus from coming to our county and we’ve worked hard as a community to slow it down,” Lara’s release noted. “Now more than ever, we have to band together to fight against it, and to support those in our community who may become ill and need our care and our assistance. As the weather starts getting really nice, many of us may be tempted to gather with friends and family or attend festivals or large group functions, we caution residents and visitors to please consider their individual level of risk and make informed choices to protect themselves and others by wearing face coverings as recommended, and staying at least 6 feet away from others, especially visitors.

“Although most cases of COVID-19 exhibit mild or moderate symptoms, we recommend additional measures to prevent exposure among vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions (such as diabetes, cancer, immunodeficiency, asthma, COPD and others).”

The health officials advise:

• Stay home when possible.

• Remain 6 feet away from others and wear a facial covering when engaging in tasks away from home.

• Wash your hands with soap and water regularly.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, and practice respiratory etiquette.

• Stay home when you are sick. Do not go to work or other places.

“We encourage individuals who develop flu-like symptoms such as headache, body aches, fever, cough or exhaustion to stay home and contact their health care provider,” he added. “We must be disciplined to isolate ourselves at home if we are not feeling well. We know the temptation is to continue going to work, going to the store or going to school, but to do that is to risk spreading the virus to other people.”