The centre, located in the suburb of Kirkland, has seen at least 27 deaths.

On Saturday, as the national death toll reached 57 and the number of infections passed 2,500, officials in Washington’s King County, which includes Seattle, revealed the toll on staff and carers at the centre.

The King County health department said of 95 of the 180 staff at the centre who had shown symptoms, 47 had tested positive for the virus, 24 tested negative, 1 had tested inconclusively and the results for 5 people were pending.

It said, another 15 of the staff had undergone testing on Saturday.

The original number of residents being cared for at the centre before the crisis struck was around 120. Since then, 66 have been transferred to hospitals. At least 27 have died.

“First responders, medical, and care staff county-wide, including those at Life Care Centre are encouraged to actively monitor themselves for symptoms per CDC guidelines,” the department said.

With three more deaths in Washington state and the first reported deaths in Louisiana and Virginia, 57 Americans have now died because of coronavirus.

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Two deaths in New York and two deaths in Florida were reported also on Saturday.