FROM STAFF REPORTS

Two more deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in Iredell County.

The Iredell County Health Department on Tuesday reported the county’s 244th and 245th deaths tied to the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020. Local health officials do not release personal information about COVID-19 patients, including those who pass away.

The deaths are the fourth and fifth reported by health officials this week.

The number COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Iredell County also jumped sharply on Tuesday, increasing by 10 to 96. Health officials said 78 of those patients are Iredell County residents; the other 18 reside elsewhere,

With the 74 new laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported Tuesday, there have been a total of 22,171 cases in Iredell County since the pandemic began.

Health officials urge residents who have not been vaccinated to do so. They also stress the importance of wearing face masks indoors, practicing social distancing and washing your hands frequently.