Statewide coronavirus deaths grow to 18
The number of people who have died from COVID-19, or coronavirus, has grown to 18, the Washington state Department of Health announced Sunday.
Seventeen of those deaths have been reported in King County, plus one in Snohomish County. The total number of confirmed cases stands at 123, while those who have tested negative for the virus stands at 1,110, the data show.
However, the number of counties that now have cases has grown to eight, with a case each reported in Kittitas and Spokane counties.
In Pierce County, there are now four presumed positive cases of coronavirus in Pierce County, including a woman in her 30s who was discharged from Good Samaritan Hospital and is recovering at home as of Saturday. The other patient, a man in his 40s, tested positive Saturday at Tacoma General Hospital.
Mary Lyon Elementary in Tacoma will be closed Monday and Tuesday after a staff member tested presumptive positive for COVID-19.
More than 107,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 3,600 deaths as of March 8, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 435 confirmed cases with 19 deaths.
Around the state
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday that “mandatory measures” might be the next step to combat the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus in the state, which now has more than 100 cases and 18 deaths.
Inslee appeared on the CBS TV news program, “Face the Nation,” Sunday morning.
In response to a question about whether shutting things down might slow the spread of coronavirus, Inslee took issue with the term “shutting down,” but did offer this:
“We are contemplating some next steps, particularly to protect our vulnerable populations and our nursing homes and the like. And we are looking to determine whether mandatory measures are required,” said Inslee, according to a transcript of the conversation.
Starbucks announced its first store closure due to the coronavirus outbreak Friday evening after one of its store partners tested positive for COVID-19. The closed Starbucks store is near the Seattle Art Museum and SAM Gallery. Starbucks deep cleaned the store overnight and followed recommended guidelines from City of Seattle and King County public health authorities.
Around the nation
The Regal Princess is currently being held off the Florida coast as crew members, who previously served aboard the Grand Princess, are tested for novel coronavirus, according to Broward County. The crew members are being tested at the request of the Centers for Disease Control.
The Grand Princess has been held off the California coast after 21 people on board tested positive for coronavirus. That ship is scheduled to dock in Oakland on Monday, according to CNN.
Around the world
Ten people died after a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine center collapsed Saturday night in southeastern China, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
How coronavirus spreads
Coronavirus, known as COVID-19, is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The CDC says it’s possible to catch COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure.The disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 11:52 AM.
