LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — A woman in her 70s has died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, Loudoun County health officials said. It's the first coronavirus-related death in Loudoun County.
"We are saddened by the first confirmed death of a Loudoun County resident due to COVID-19. Our hearts go out to her loved ones," Director of the Loudoun County Health Department Dr. David Goodfriend said in a statement released Thursday.
The woman was a member of the Loudoun County Public Schools, Superintendent Eric Williams confirmed in a letter to parents and faculty Thursday. According to Williams, the woman had "close contacts previously investigated" by the Loudoun County Health Department.
"It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of a staff member of the Loudoun County Public Schools," the statement said. "She died last night due to complications related to the COVID-19 virus."
Last week, the department reported three positive coronavirus cases within the Loudoun County Public School system: Two staff members at Waxpool Elementary School in Loudoun County, Va. tested positive, along with a staff member associated with Liberty Elementary School and Pinebrook Elementary School, school officials said. Loudoun County Public Schools did not say which of the schools that the woman who died was associated with.
Health officials from Loudoun County said that while they mourn the death of the resident, there is no additional risk to the local community.
"The health of our residents is our top priority and this represents no additional risk to the community," Thursday's statement continued. "We ask that everyone do their part to slow the spread of the virus in our community: practice social distancing, wash your hands, and cover coughs and sneezes."