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The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health announced the fatality on Wednesday, April 1.
The department said the 68-year-old woman died at home earlier in the day.
The patient, who had a history of underlying conditions, arrived at Vassar Brothers Medical Center's Emergency Room late last week after not feeling well.
She returned home and was later informed of a positive COVID-19 test result drawn during her hospital visit.
The individual had not yet been transferred to the health department for monitoring.
Further specific information cannot be provided for privacy reasons, the health department noted.
As testing in Dutchess expanded last week, there are now more than 460 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county, and the numbers are expected to continue to increase.
"We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of our Dutchess County neighbor, and we as a community mourn the loss of another resident to this global pandemic," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said. "We remind residents no community has been spared from this virus, reinforcing the message we have spread for weeks: Stay home; stay healthy; stop the spread.
"As a county, we remain dedicated to fight the spread of this virus, employing every resource available, and we thank all those — healthcare professionals, first responders, County personnel and others — who have worked tirelessly to protect our residents."
Molinaro continues to ask residents to remain home to limit the community spread of the virus and limit their interactions, staying at least 6 feet apart, while making brief trips outside home to grocery stores and pharmacies.
“We implore residents who think they have symptoms of COVID-19 to call their primary-care physician and remain in constant contact to ensure follow-up monitoring can continue," Dutchess Behavioral and Community Health Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian said. "As this pandemic continues to affect hundreds in our community, and will impact even more in the coming days and weeks, we must all take an active part in keeping ourselves healthy and saving lives."
Staying home is critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and flattening the curve so as not to overwhelm the local healthcare system and ensure everyone can get the care they need, the department said.
Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information and guidance on its website, dutchessny.gov/coronavirus, its Coronavirus hotline, (845) 486-3555, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
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