Public Health – Seattle & King County confirmed Sunday the second coronavirus-related death in the United States, a man in his 70s, in Kirkland.
Here’s what we know now:
- Both men who died had underlying health conditions.
- The first man who died had no travel history, health officials said.
- Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday.
- Health officials said there is not widespread transmission locally.
- As of Sunday afternoon, there are six confirmed cases of coronavirus in King County and three cases in Snohomish County.
- Fifty people with symptoms are being tested for coronavirus at a Kirkland nursing facility.
- Two high schools are closed Monday for deep cleaning after potential coronavirus exposure.
- KIRO 7 will send breaking news updates through the KIRO 7 News app, which you can download here.
Second coronavirus death
Public Health – Seattle & King County confirmed Sunday the second coronavirus-related death in the United States, a King County man in his 70s.
The man was hospitalized at Evergreen Health Medical Center in Kirkland with underlying health conditions.
The first death was on Saturday and was a King County man in his 50s.
The first man who died arrived at Evergreen Health Medical Center in Kirkland with “serious respiratory issues” and later tested positive for COVID-19 (the new coronavirus), King County Public Health said. Officials did not elaborate on his underlying conditions, citing patient privacy.
“It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19,” Inslee said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to their family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus.”
The first man who died had no history of travel or contact with a known coronavirus case, meaning the case was acquired through community transmission in the Seattle area, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Information from health officials
The Department of Health and King County officials gave a briefing at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. KIRO 7 carried that live on TV, our Smart TV apps including Amazon Fire TV and Roku, and the KIRO 7 News app. You can watch the full briefing below.
More cases of the coronavirus are expected to be identified now that testing is available through the state Health Department and the criteria to determine if someone needs to be tested has widened.
Some people in King County who have tested positive for the coronavirus did not travel to countries where the virus is spreading, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Health officials said this indicates that there is a spread happening in the community, although they don’t know how widespread it is. Health officials said we should expect that there will be more cases identified in the weeks to come.
Most of the coronavirus around the U.S. has been mild; officials said 80% of the people infected have not needed hospital care. However, a much smaller percentage of the cases are more severe and involve pneumonia, particularly in elderly people and people with underlying medical conditions, health officials said.
Pending and confirmed coronavirus cases
Labs in Washington are performing up to 200 tests per day to see who else may have the virus. Additional cases are expected. Cancellations of major public events are not expected, though that’s being considered if the coronavirus spreads.
On Sunday around 10 a.m., King County Public Health confirmed two new cases of coronavirus in King County residents, bringing the total number of cases in the county to six.
The first new case is a man in his 60s hospitalized at Valley Medical Center in Renton. He is in critical but stable condition. The second case is a man in his 60s hospitalized at Virginia Mason Medical Center in critical condition. Both men have underlying health conditions.
Two of the other new cases of coronavirus are linked to a nursing facility in Kirkland, but there may be many more. A total of 50 people have symptoms and are being tested for coronavirus.
There was also a local United States Postal Service employee who tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a spokesperson with USPS. King County health officials said the person was one of four cases already reported and is included in the total number of cases.
Last week, approximately 16 nursing students from Lake Washington Institute of Technology visited the Kirkland facility, and out of an abundance of caution, the college is cleaning its campus.
On Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flew in 10 experts to help the local Health Department track where the coronavirus came from. Paramedics were in protective gear before entering Life Care Center of Kirkland, where a sign warned of an outbreak of respiratory illness. Through Saturday evening, a woman in her 40s who works there and a patient in her 70s both tested positive for coronavirus.
Several fire crews from Kirkland previously responded to the coronavirus patients at Life Care Center. When they showed up, they had no idea that they were potentially exposed to this contagious disease. Seven firefighters from Station 21 were quarantined Saturday. None of them showed symptoms as of Saturday evening.
On Sunday, the city of Redmond said that seven medics were quarantined due to possible exposure.
In Snohomish County, health officials announced Sunday a new case of coronavirus, a man in his 40s.
He was hospitalized at Evergreen Health in Kirkland and is in critical condition, according to Snohomish County health officials.
A presumptive positive test result came back from the State Public Health Laboratory, bringing the total cases in Snohomish to three.
Snohomish Health District officials said they expect the number to rise as more people are tested and results are confirmed.
As of Saturday evening, there have been at least 83,652 coronavirus cases reported worldwide. Those led to more than 2,700 deaths.
President Donald Trump spoke about the King County case Saturday and encouraged Americans not to change their daily routines. He said the country is prepared for a wider outbreak, and Trump will meet Monday with the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to talk about the development of a vaccine.
Watch the latest updates from reporter Alison Grande in the video embedded below (at the source).
Closures
Some schools have closed in response to confirmed or potential coronavirus cases.
Jackson High, part of Everett Public Schools, will be closed March 2 to allow for deep cleaning and disinfecting after a teenager tested positive for coronavirus. The teen is at home in isolation but visited Seattle Children’s North Clinic last week.
Renton School District announced Sunday that Hazen High School will also be closed March 2 after learning a student and their parents are experiencing flu-like symptoms and were tested for coronavirus. The school will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, according to a press release. The parent works in the healthcare industry and became sick last Sunday. The student became sick Wednesday and did not attend classes Thursday or Friday.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology will be closed March 2 and 3 to continue disinfecting the campus after students visited in the nursing facility in Kirkland where two people tested positive for coronavirus.
On Sunday evening, the Kent School District announced Kentwood High School and Covington Elementary will be closed March 2 out of an abundance of caution due to coronavirus concerns.
In a message sent to the Kent School District community, school officials learned that a parent of Kentwood students is experiencing flu-like symptoms and is waiting to be tested for the coronavirus. The family is currently in self-quarantine and have been in contact with local health officials.
According to school officials, the parent was at a local health care center recently, where other positive cases have been confirmed and then became with flue-like symptoms last Wednesday.
The students did attend school and activities last week but are not symptomatic at this time.
Another member of the family works at Covington Elementary and is not showing any signs of flu-like symptoms but did attend work last week.
The school district has contacted Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Frank Love Elementary School will also be closed Monday due to coronavirus concerns.
A staffer at the school is being tested for the coronavirus and was directed to self-quarantine, according to the superintendent of Northshore School District.
The school’s support services staff will disinfect the entire school.
Last week Bothell High School was closed due to possible exposure.
On March 3, all Northshore schools will be closed to students so staff members can receive training on how to engage students in remote learning should it be necessary in the coming days, the superintendent said.
Also, a district-wide cleaning and disinfection is being coordinated for each school.
The F5 Tower in downtown Seattle will be closed Monday due to coronavirus concerns.
Below is a statement from the company:
“An F5 employee in our Seattle headquarters has been in contact with an individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). We are committed to supporting this employee’s health, as well as protecting their privacy.
Our concern is with the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners, and communities worldwide; and we have and will continue to put in place public safety measures. This includes sanitizing our offices and closing the F5 Tower for business on March 2; encouraging local employees to work from home; postponing or converting large in-person events to virtual meetings, and prohibiting all non-essential international and domestic business travel.”
How you can protect yourself
Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Patients reportedly have mild to severe respiratory illness.
These are steps health officials recommend to protect yourself:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
- Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
- Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill.
Gov. Inslee’s response
Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon in response to the new cases of COVID-19, telling agencies to use all resources necessary to respond to the outbreak. He also authorized the use of the Washington National Guard if necessary.
“This will allow us to get the resources we need,” Inslee said. “This is a time to take common-sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state. Our state agency directors have been actively preparing since the nation’s first case appeared in Snohomish County. Washingtonians can be assured we’ve taken this threat seriously and have been working in collaboration with our health care partners to develop plans and procedures to prepare for what could likely be a worldwide pandemic.”
[Disclaimer]
