The Washington Department of Health confirmed Saturday that the first coronavirus-related death in the United States was a man who died in Kirkland. KIRO 7 is updating this story as we get new details from health officials.
We will be live on TV at 7 p.m. with a special program, “Coronavirus Emergency,” and the program also will be on our Smart TV devices (including Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV) and the KIRO 7 News app. Here is what we know now:
- The man who died was in his 50s and had underlying health conditions.
- The man 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.
- 50 people with symptoms are being tested for coronavirus at a Kirkland nursing facility.
- KIRO 7 will send breaking news updates through the KIRO 7 News app, which you can download here.
First coronavirus death
The Washington Department of Health confirmed Saturday the first coronavirus-related death in the United States, a King County man in his 50s.
The man who later died arrived at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland with “serious respiratory issues” and later tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus), King County Public Health said. Officials said the man also had underlying health conditions, although they declined to say what the conditions were, citing patient privacy.
“It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19,” Gov. Jay 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 man 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. 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 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.
Two of the 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.
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.
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 development of a vaccine.
Watch the latest updates from reporter Alison Grande in the video embedded below.
How you can protect yourself
Symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to the flu or a cold: runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever and a general feeling of being unwell.
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 world-wide pandemic.”
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