Two more Jefferson County residents have died from COVID-19, public health officials announced Friday.

COVID-19 has taken its deadliest toll over the past week in the county, with nine deaths reported in the past eight days.

Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry said the deceased were two men in their 70s who were fully vaccinated.

They died as a result of an outbreak in a long-term care facility.

"Unfortunately those in long-term care are just so vulnerable and cannot fully respond to their vaccine," Berry said in an email to The Leader.

The disease has claimed the lives of 13 residents in Jefferson County since the start of the pandemic.

The five COVID deaths reported Thursday also involved fully vaccinated residents at long-term care facilities. 

The count of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county also rose, by 14, from 841 cases Thursday to 855 Friday. 

Five positive COVID test results were reported in Port Townsend, and nine in the mid-county area.

Ten of the new infections involved females; the other four involved males.

Three residents under the age of 12 were infected, along with three residents in their 20s, five residents in their 30s, one resident in their 50s, and two residents in their 60s.

A total of 102 test results are still pending, according to Jefferson County Public Health.

There have been 29,668 tests for COVID-19 in Jefferson County since the start of the pandemic, and 28,934 have resulted in negative results.

New test results from 94 residents were received Friday.

In Jefferson County, 606 people have recovered from COVID-19 and 55 people have been hospitalized for the disease. (People are considered "recovered" at 28 days from the onset of symptoms if they are alive and not hospitalized, according to the state Department of Health.)