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WELD COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A Weld County man has died from the coronavirus, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Tuesday afternoon. It is the state’s second reported coronavirus death.

According to the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, the patient was a man in his 70s.

The death is connected to an earlier identified positive case, officials said.

“Protecting our high-risk populations from COVID-19 is imperative,” said Mark E. Wallace, MD MPH, executive director of the Weld County Department of Public Health. “We are strongly suggesting people practice social distancing in order to prevent future COVID-19 deaths and protect our workforce. Every single reduction in the number of contacts you have per day will have a significant impact on the virus’s spread.”

The investigation into the case is ongoing.

The state’s first coronavirus death was reported in El Paso County on Friday. The patient was a woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions.