KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department is reporting the 12th confirmed death due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement released Monday, the county confirmed that the victim was an older adult between the ages of 60-79 years and did not have underlying medical conditions.
Additionally, county health officials have updated the definition of “older adult” to 60+ years old.
All reported COVID-19 deaths were reported in victims that were 60+ years old.
According to county data, seven of the victims were over 80 years of age, while the remaining five were between 60 and 79 years of age.
Data reported from the State of Michigan indicates that there are now 300 confirmed cases of the virus in Kalamazoo County.
Having already held a testing site last week, Family Health Center (FHS) will be holding an additional testing site this week. It will be held on Thursday, April 30 at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The KRESA is located at 1819 East Milham Ave., Portage. Citizens looking to be tested must call 269-488-0804 to pre-register. Callers will be asked brief and standard demographic information and about their health insurance in order to move forward.
The total number of people able to be tested in one day is between 200 and 300, with lab samples sent to a processing facility in Grand Rapids. Patients going through the testing process can expect to receive test results within 24 to 48 hours.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has expanded testing criteria so that even those with moderate symptoms can be eligible to seek testing for the illness.
The department is also allowing all essential workers that come into direct contact with the public to be eligible for testing regardless of symptoms.
— Joshua Scott contributed to this article. —
