6 dead, 18 infected from coronavirus in Washington state

KOMO News by KOMO News

SEATTLE – Six people have now died from the coronavirus in the Puget Sound area and at least 18 have been infected, health officials said Monday, as the county’s top executive issued an emergency declaration in response to the outbreak.

The newest victims in King County include:

– A man in his 70s, a resident of LifeCare who was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. The man had underlying health conditions and died Sunday.

– A woman in her 70s, a resident of LifeCare, was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. She had underlying health conditions and died Sunday.

– A woman in her 80s, who was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth and was one of the earlier reported infected and died Sunday.

– A Snohomish County resident at EvergreenHealth has also died but details of that patient have not been given.

Gov. Jay Inslee earlier issued a statewide emergency declaration Saturday after a man in Kirkland died of COVID-19, the first such reported death in the United States.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington on Sunday said they had evidence the virus may have been circulating in the state for up to six weeks undetected — a finding that, if true, could mean hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area.

This story originally appeared on KOMONews.com.

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