2nd Western State Hospital Patient Dies Of Coronavirus

LAKEWOOD, WA — A second patient from Western State Hospital has passed away due to the coronavirus, the Department of Social and Health Services announced Monday.

According to the DSHS, the patient had been sent to a nearby hospital several weeks ago to receive emergency care, but died only recently.

“We are devastated that this virus has taken one of our patients, said Sean Murphy, the assistant secretary for DSHS' Behavioral Health Administration.

The first COVID-19 death at Western State Hospital happened back in spring, when an 85-year-old resident tested positive for the coronavirus on March 21, and died just a few days later on the 26th.

At the beginning of December, Western State reported another spike in COVID-19 transmission had infected more than 30 patients and staff. It is unclear if the recently-deceased patient was among those infected in that spike. Currently, there are four staff members and six patients from Western who have COVID-19, according to the DSHS.

In their statement announcing the second death, the DSHS says they are taking emergency measures to protect patients and staff from the pandemic, including providing PPE to staff and moving patients who have tested positive for the virus to COVID-only wards. Staff movement has also reportedly been limited between wards to try and prevent transmission.

The Department of Social and Health Services also confirms that they are still awaiting their first batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses, but that they expect to receive some later this week. The DSHS says vaccines will be distributed first to frontline staff who are most at risk of exposure.

Outside of Western State, no other pandemic-related deaths have been reported at DSHS facilities. According to the latest update to the DSHS's COVID-19 dashboard, their facilities have seen a total 166 confirmed COVID-19 cases in patients and 529 cases in employees. Western State Hospital accounts for 82 of the infected patients and 241 of the infected employees.