Six Now Dead in the US as Covid-19 Takes Further Toll in Seattle Area
How to prepare for the spread of Covid-19. [Image posted by King County Washington Public Health]
Currently, the number of reported confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide is over 89,000 and there have been a little over 3000 deaths, according to the constantly updating Johns Hopkins’ site here.
King County officials also announced that they intend to purchase a motel in the area to isolate cases of those who are infected (14 in the county at this time.) According to the Seattle Times, Jeff Duchin, health officer for the public health agency, while stating “that most cases will be mild” also said, “We expect the number of cases to increase in the coming days and weeks…We are taking this situation extremely seriously.”
Below is information from the King County Public Health at 11:30 a.m.:
On Sunday, March 1, Executive Constantine signed a Proclamation of Emergency in response to COVID-19, enabling “extraordinary measures” to fight the outbreak, including waiving some procurement protocols, and authoring overtime for King County employees, among other powers.
Executive Constantine immediately ordered the purchase of an area motel to be used to isolate patients in recovery as well as those in active treatment. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in a matter of days and available to Public Health by the end of the week. Location details will be made available when the transaction is complete.
In addition, King County will place modular units on public properties in locations throughout King County.
“We have moved to a new stage in the fight to contain and mitigate this outbreak. King County is aligned and organized behind this common mission, with Public Health – Seattle & King County as our lead agency,” said Executive Constantine. “We will direct all available resources to help cities, health-care facilities, businesses, and families continue life as normally as possible. But our best strategies depend on millions of residents actively following established disease prevention guidelines.”
“As we learn more about this outbreak, it’s now more important than ever that we look out for one another and stand strong as a community,” King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci said. “In King County, we are fortunate to have a network of highly skilled public health professionals who are working round-the-clock to assess and respond to the situation, while making sure we are informed with up-to-date information.”
COVID-19 Case updates
COVID-19 test results have come back from the Washington State Public Health Laboratory confirming four additional cases of COVID-19 in King County residents. With these four new results, the total number of cases in King County is 14. Today’s results include 2 additional deaths, along with an individual who was previously reported as ill but who has now died. This brings the total number of deaths in King County from COVID-19 to five.
“We have the best people in the world right here in King County responding to this crisis,” said Patty Hayes, RN, MN, Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. “We will get through this by staying informed and united. There are things each one of us can do to take control and reduce the impact of this disease in our community.”
The four new cases are in:
- A male in his 50s, hospitalized at Highline Hospital. No known exposures. He is in stable but critical condition. He had no underlying health conditions.
- A male in his 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20
- A female in her 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20
- A female in her 80s, a resident of LifeCare, was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. She is in critical condition.
- In addition, a woman in her 80s, who was already reported as in critical condition at Evergreen, has died. She died on 3/1/20
10 other cases, already reported earlier by Public Health, include:
- A female in her 80s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. This person has now died, and is reported as such above.
- A female in her 90s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition
- A male in his 70s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition
- A male in his 70s was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. He had underlying health conditions and died on 2/29/20.
- A man in his 60s, hospitalized at Valley Medical Center in Renton.
- A man in 60s, hospitalized at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
- A woman in her 50s, who had traveled to South Korea; recovering at home
- A woman in her 70s, who was a resident of LifeCare in Kirkland, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth
- A woman in her 40s, employed by LifeCare, who is hospitalized at Overlake Medical Center
- A man in his 50s, who was hospitalized and died at EvergreenHealth
Public Health is working hard to identify close contacts of these confirmed cases. These close contacts may include family members, co-workers, emergency responders and other contacts. A team of CDC officials is on-the-ground working with Public Health, along with the Washington State Department of Health, our healthcare system partners and many others.
The public can help:
1) Do not go to the emergency room unless essential. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor first.
2) Stay home when sick.
3) Practice excellent personal hygiene habits, including handwashing, coughing into tissue or elbow, avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
4) Stay away from people who are ill, especially if you are 60 and older or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a weakened immune system. 4) Stay informed. Information is changing frequently. Check and subscribe to Public Health’s website (www.kingcounty.gov/COVID) or blog (www.publichealthinsider.com).
Earlier Chapters:
- CDC Says California Now Has Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus
- One Case of Covid-19 (Previously Known as Novel Coronavirus) in Humboldt County
- Answering Questions About Covid-19 (AKA the Coronavirus) in Humboldt County
- Trinity Co. DHHS Asks Residents Who Have Traveled to Hubei Province, China, or Have Had Direct Contact With Someone Who Has to Contact Them
- Guidance for Business Owners on How to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19)
- Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services Says They Cannot Confirm a Second Case of COVID-19
- Washington Post Reports New Coronavirus Case in Northern California of ‘Unknown Origin’; DHHS Says Not Humboldt County
- State and Federal Response Lacks Places to Quarantine COVID-19 as Pandemic Evolves
- Of Cannabis and Covid-19
- Humboldt County Covid – 19 Patient released After No Longer Showing Symptoms
- UPDATE 10:40 a.m.: Breaking News, First US Death]Humboldt County Prepares as COVID-19 Cases Continue to Emerge Across the Nation
- Second US Resident Dead in Covid-19 Outbreak
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
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Thanks for keeping us all updated, Kym
As is usually the case with a cold, “… most cases will be mild.”
Meanwhile, the flu killed 61,000 in the US last season, and has killed over 16,000 this season.
The mortality rate is greater for Covid-19, particularly among certain groups. There is also a vaccine for the flu.
Mortality rate is much higher, and it’s more contagious.
You cannot compare the flu, which is already widespread and established, to a new virus that has only just begun spreading over the globe.
Also concerning is the reports of reinfection, and the fact that screening at airports and other public places will not work with asymptomatic yet contagious carriers.
If you’re young, healthy, and not worried, think about grandma and grandpa. Slowing the spread may save people you love, because grandma and Grandpa’s immune system ain’t seen nothin like this before.
Coronaviruses are not new. The common cold is a Coronavirus. Covid-19 is just a variant of the flu. The mortality rate for Covid-19 is still under 3%. More people die from Rabies. No need to overreact. Just use common sense precautions against influenza. Wash hands a lot. Disinfect items frequently. Stay away from crowds…we will survive this…
Coronavirus is coronavirus, flu is influenza.
Otherwise I agree with what you’re saying
It’s over 3% worldwide but Washington shows how the elderly with health issues can exceed 40%.
The fact that China has started to contain spread shows that it can be done.
Too many humans.
89k cases with 3k deaths. That’s 3.3%, which is substantially more than the 2% that everyone is reporting.
This is a perfect example of “Thinning the Herd” by using “Survival of the Fittest.”
Why has Trump dragged his heels on this? Simple. Most of the cases are in Democratic cities/states. We need to get some of the infected and ship them to Kentucky and South Carolina[edit]
What did you want him to do build a wall around China that China would pay for?
No, maybe they expected him to not fire the leadership of the CDC ‘Pandemic Response Team’ in 2018.
———— (Cut from Snopes.com)
Amid warnings from public health officials that a 2020 outbreak of a new coronavirus could soon become a pandemic involving the U.S., alarmed readers asked Snopes to verify a rumor that U.S. President Donald Trump had “fired the entire pandemic response team two years ago and then didn’t replace them.”
Legum outlined a series of cost-cutting decisions made by the Trump administration in preceding years that had gutted the nation’s infectious disease defense infrastructure. The “pandemic response team” firing claim referred to news accounts from Spring 2018 reporting that White House officials tasked with directing a national response to a pandemic had been ousted.
Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer abruptly departed from his post leading the global health security team on the National Security Council in May 2018 amid a reorganization of the council by then-National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Ziemer’s team was disbanded. Tom Bossert, whom the Washington Post reported “had called for a comprehensive biodefense strategy against pandemics and biological attacks,” had been fired one month prior.
It’s thus true that the Trump administration axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic and did not replace it, eliminating Ziemer’s position and reassigning others, although Bolton was the executive at the top of the National Security Council chain of command at the time.
———–
Well at least we got the Space Force to keep us safe now.
lololol!!!
He could have listened to the CDC when they told the administration NOT to evacuate Americans from China and the cruise ships.
Are the current deaths a direct result of those passengers or spread by the 100,000 plus other people that have been infected?
With 80% of cases being mild enough to not needing hospitalization, we can only guess how many tens of thousands of undiagnosed cases there were/are.
Theres no magic in the world that can tell officials how many people actually have the virus. Counting those who die is quite easy though.
My Condolences to the dead, sick and quarantined.
The fact everyone is so scared in our government to call this virus it’s actual Given name ( SARS-cov-2) tells me we are in for one hell of a pandemic.”The virus” ,”coronavirus” well many exist . this particular virus is called Sars-CoV-2 read below.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/bit-chaotic-christening-new-coronavirus-and-its-disease-name-create-confusion
“COVID-19 is a name for the disease, not for the virus that causes it, which until now had a temporary moniker, 2019-nCoV, signifying it was a novel coronavirus that emerged last year. But the pathogen also got a new designation, which arrived before Tedros had even finished his press conference, by way of a preprint posted on bioRxiv by the body charged with classifying and naming viruses. The Coronavirus Study Group (CSG) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, the paper noted, had decided that the virus is a variant of the coronavirus that caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002–03. So, it named the new pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2.
But that’s not a name WHO is happy with, and the agency isn’t planning on adopting it. “From a risk communications perspective, using the name SARS can have unintended consequences in terms of creating unnecessary fear for some populations, especially in Asia which was worst affected by the SARS outbreak in 2003,” a WHO spokesperson wrote in an email to Science.
I’ll try to be more specific.
It may help for next years wave, but right now surely we all know to what I reference.
Thank you for the information.
Actually, the dead are not easy to count. In China, as the medical system was overwhelmed they turned people away, telling them to care for themselves at home where they later died. Since they were never tested or “confirmed” their death was not counted. I have heard a lot of first hand stories like this from relatives in the Southern China Morning Post.
.
That’s HILARIOUS! Thank you!
Sonoma County public health officials Monday declared a public health emergency after confirming a second local case of coronavirus.
The newest patient is in stable condition in an isolation room at an unidentified local hospital. They had recently returned from a trip on a cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico, according to the county health department. A California Department of Public Health test confirmed the positive diagnosis.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10774534-181/second-coronavirus-patient-reported-in?trk_msg=KPPUDG4LUDVKL6JSKJOQB6HTGG&trk_contact=9BJIFDA52N6DI17FT70JT5ABG8&trk_sid=TOGGEIMT6L83HB999LKHBL6IB4&utm_email=C4DCF5A3246124E0748DA4E38A&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2fnews%2f10774534-181%2fsecond-coronavirus-patient-reported-in&utm_campaign=pd_breaking
Did our local case relapse? The John Hopkins map lists them as “confirmed” and “existing” rather than “recovered”
Just saw on the news the number of people who have died is now six, all from the same rest home in Washington state.
The number is six but not all from the same rest home. One person was a 40 something year old from Snohomish county. The others were mostly older than 70 in King County Washington. There was one person in their fifties.
Hey folks CLEAN YOUR SCREEN!!!!
Our phones and other touch screen devices carry sooooooo many germs. I use the lil rubbing alcohol pads they use before they draw blood. You gotta wash your hands all the time, please teach your kids about screen germs! I’m kinda surprised its not being mentioned more in the news. Friends who are nurses say the screens are the most germy things in our lives.
Consider using a stylus or to be stylish (couldn’t resist 🙂 ) get some of those awesome gloves that were popular in the 60’s&70’s, theyre usually very lightweight&styly. Ask your grandma, she’ll know. There are also gloves that have a fingertip feature that allows you to work your touchscreen with them on.
Most of all keep your system strong, dont think this administration is going to help you at all and use this as a way to connect with neighbors and community members regardless of who you like for president we’re all in it together and learning how to work together and help one another will only benefit us in the instance of a large quake, tsunami, fire or the like. Really let’s use this as a way to practice being prepared as we all ought to be anywsys, it really does take down the stress when you&neighbirs have plan in place.
They sky is falling the sky is falling quick panic over news reports. FYI tens of thousands die every year from influenza. There is no one virus that causes influenza but thousands of different ones. This is just a new one. Before everyone caves into the main stream media and panics educate yourself. Let me put this in perspective. about 7,400 people in the US die every DAY or one every 12 seconds. According to the CDC there were 2,813,503 registered deaths in the US in 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db328.htm#Summary
The 1918 Flu killed more than both world wars. The main problem was the media would not speak of it as being a serious problem. Let the media sing all about the sky is falling and then maybe it won’t fall as hard.
The main problem with 1918 influenza was that they had no clue how to treat it. They didn’t have modern medicine.
I agree. Its always better to err on the side of caution when talking about a new virus with the potential for high mortality. The sad thing is that if the world got it together and really prepared with a vengeance, and we were able to contain this thing with little damage, there will always be someone screaming ‘see I told you it wasn’t going to be that bad’. And they are often the same people who, when things go south and the damage is great, scream “why didn’t we act sooner’.
You sound like the voice of ignorant turmup trump