Jasper County Health Department reports second, third and fourth COVID-19 deaths

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to take its toll on Jasper County today with the quadrupling of the county's number of coronavirus-related deaths.

The county entered the day with only one death despite a growing number of cases and issued two news releases during the day announcing three additional deaths.

In the first news released, which was issued this afternoon, the Jasper County Health Department noted two deaths, a 77-year-old man and a 78-year-old man, both residents of Carthage Health and Rehab, which has had a recent large-scale COVID-19 outbreak.

The news release noted the management at Carthage Health and Rehab "is working closely" with the Jasper County Health Department and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, that all residents and staff have been tested and that the situation is "being monitored closely."

It only took about an hour for the second release announcing the county's fourth COVID-19 death, a man in his 60s described only as "a Jasper County resident."

The Health Department posted statistics this evening showing 14 new cases over the past 24 hours. The number hospitalized increased from 17 to 18, while the number of people under isolation dropped from 117 to 115.

The statistics do not include the portion of Jasper County that is located in the Joplin city limits.