Bellone: A seventh member at Peconic Landing has died from the coronavirus

A seventh member of Peconic Landing has died from the coronavirus, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone reported at his daily media briefing Saturday.

The woman, who was in her 90s, died Friday evening at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport, Peconic Landing said in a statement.

She is one of seven newly reported Suffolk County deaths from COVID-19, bringing the overall death toll in the county to 37. At least 15 new deaths have been reported since Thursday.

“This is the worst part of these updates every day,” Mr. Bellone said as he announced the latest fatalities.

Peconic Landing said Saturday that the woman was a resident of The Shores skilled nursing facility. She had been at ELIH since March 14 and suffered from pre-existing conditions.

“To the family and loved ones of this beloved member, we express our heartfelt sympathies and support during this tragic time,” said Peconic Landing president and CEO Bob Syron.

The county’s number of positively diagnosed coronavirus cases rose to 4,138 Saturday an increase of more than 730 in the past day. Mr. Bellone said 16 percent of these patients are over the age of 65.

“These are moms and dads, grandmothers and granddads,” he said from his office in Hauppauge where he returned Saturday after two weeks in mandatory quarantine for being exposed to the virus. “[They] are critical to us as individuals, to our families and to our communities. This whole effort is about doing everything we can to reduce impact on our loved ones, our friends and our neighbors and reduce the number of deaths.”

The number of positively diagnosed cases on the North Fork is at 191, with 131 in Southold and 60 in Riverhead Town, county health officials reported Saturday.

Mr. Bellone said 409 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized in Suffolk County with 139 being treated in intensive care. That leaves 570 regular hospital beds available and 78 ICU beds.

The county executive said the number of hospital beds across Suffolk has not increased, but plans are being made.

“All the work to do that is happening right now,” Mr. Bellone said. “Right now we’re working on space still, then equipment will follow and then the staffing.”