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First Coronavirus Death in US

Health Officials from the state of Washington have reported the first Coronavirus Death in US. This marks the first death as mounting concerns and reports of a high risk with regards to the COVID-19 virus.

What is the Coronavirus?

This virus is a type is a specific type of virus that affects mammals and birds. The current outbreak is being called COVID-19. When passed to humans, it causes respiratory issues and infections. This includes an upper respiratory infection or the cold but is different than the virus causing Influenza.  Symptoms in humans are similar to other viruses of similar nature.

Cases in Washington

The case in Washington involved a man in his 50’s who had other significant medical issues. He was one of three patients that were recently suffering symptoms similar to the Coronavirus.  The 50+ year old male was currently a patient at a local hospital. It is unknown how he contracted the disease. His case is currently under investigation.

That man was at a hospital in the Seattle area and as a result of his death, the Governor of Washington declared a STATE of EMERGENCY. Dr. Frank Reido, medical director of infection control at Evergreen Health Hospital, also confirmed the death and reported that the patient suffered from underlining health problems.

“I have issued an emergency proclamation to ensure WA has the resources necessary to prepare for and respond to a COVID-19 outbreak,” Gov. Jay Inslee said Saturday afternoon on Twitter. “We have been actively preparing and will do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of Washingtonians.”

All three individuals from Washington recently tested positive for the COVID-19 virus . Further testing was being done by the CDC.  The other two individuals were a health care worker and a long term resident patient and it appears that both are from the same facility. In Washington, these three cases were joined with three other cases, making the total cases in Washington – Six.

Cases of Coronavirus in the United States

As of Saturday afternoon, Feb 29th, there are currently 19 confirmed cases with positive testing. An additional 47 cases are presumed positive, pending confirmation testing.

New cases were seen on Friday in California, Oregon, and Washington.

In total, 4 cases have been determined – unknown spread, which means that the method/cause of transmission is unknown. This type of transmission is known as “community spread”. This means that these four cases did not directly travel to China or come into contact with anyone who did. That is why it is call community spread.

President Donald Trump Saturday Update

President Trump indicated that there was no reason to panic. He advised that the American public does not need to change their daily routines. There is some discussion about a vaccine currently in production. President Trump has said that several pharmaceutical companies will be travelling to the White House to discuss this as soon as early next week.

Learn More About the Risks of the Coronavirus

Should We Be Afraid Of The Coronavirus