ASHEVILLE - A third Buncombe resident has died due to COVID-19, county officials said in a briefing the afternoon of April 13.

Interim Health Director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore said all three local individuals who died in connection to the illness were over the age of 60 and had underlying health problems.

She did not provide additional information on the third victim.

Buncombe Health and Human Services spokeswoman Stacey Wood said via email the department was notified of the death at 1 p.m. April 13. She said the individual died at Mission Hospital.

Buncombe's first death related to COVID-19 came March 28. George Lloyd Lamb died at the age of 81, also at Mission.

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A second death occurred April 9 at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville. The individual was a U.S. military veteran in his 80s, according to a Buncombe release.

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County finalizing 'survey tool' to identify symptoms, working to up testing

As of 2 p.m. April 13, Buncombe had tallied a total of 38 lab-confirmed cases of the respiratory disease caused by novel coronavirus, according to Mullendore. Thirty-four of the individuals have recovered and been released from isolation.

"As I've mentioned previously, we are well aware that the 38 lab-confirmed cases are an underestimate of the true impact of COVID-19 in the county," said Mullendore.

She said the county is finalizing a "survey tool" that will aid officials in quantifying the number of locals experiencing symptoms of the illness whether or not they have been tested. Buncombe is also working with local partners to increase access to testing again in the coming weeks.

Nearly half of those who tested positive for the illness locally were between the ages of 25 and 49, according to an update on the county's website.

There are no lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any nursing homes or congregant living facilities in Buncombe, Mullendore said.

Related:Henderson County coronavirus cases double: 23 linked to assisted living facility outbreak

Mackenzie Wicker covers Buncombe County for the Asheville Citizen Times. You can reach her at mwicker@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @MackWick.

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