Central San Joaquin Valley endures its first coronavirus-related death
Story update: The Madera County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Friday night that Jose Sanchez Barriga, 67, is the man who suffered the first COVID-19-related death in the central San Joaquin Valley. Because Barriga also was suffering from underlying medical issues, his cause of death is attributed to the following: acute cardio pulmonary arrest, bilateral pneumonia and COVID-19.
A Madera County man is the first person in the central San Joaquin Valley to die from the coronavirus.
The Madera County Department of Public Health reported on Thursday a COVID-19-related death of a man in his 60s — three days after he tested positive for the virus.
The man also had been suffering from underlying health conditions, the Madera County Department of Public Health added. He is believed to have contracted the potentially deadly virus via person-to-person transmission, according to the health department.
“This is a stark reminder that this is a serious illness for our vulnerable populations,” said Sara Bosse, the Public Health Director for Madera County.
According to the health department, the deceased person’s case was a person-to-person contact of a case that was confirmed in Madera County on March 19.
The 60-something-year-old man had shown signs of the coronavirus on March 18 and underwent testing the next day.
By Sunday, he was admitted into Madera Community Hospital.
On Monday, his test results came in confirming he did in fact have the coronavirus.
And on Thursday — just eight days after showing his first signs of COVID-19 — the Madera County resident passed away.
“We’ve seen this illness work quickly is some cases,” Bosse said. “And this individual was in that age range that’s of high concern because they will often experience severe symptoms, especially those with underlying conditions.”
The Department of Public Health also announced Thursday that Madera County has three new confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The three new cases are believed to have been acquired through person-to-person contact with a patient(s) whose positive COVID-19 test was confirmed March 19.
To date, Madera County has had a total of 10 cases.
One patient currently is hospitalized.
Another patient, who is a male in his 70s, has recovered.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 4:24 PM.
