Six people in the Seattle area have died of the illness caused by the new coronavirus, health officials said on Monday, as authorities across the United States scrambled to prepare for more infections with the emphasis on increasing testing capacity.
“THEY HAD UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS”
At least four of the six people who died were either elderly or had underlying health conditions or both, officials said.
The total number of cases detected by the public health system in Washington state now stands at 18, the most of any state. In addition to the 14 King County cases, four residents of nearby Snohomish County have tested positive for the virus, officials added.
In addition to confirmed cases, King County has about 29 potential cases awaiting test results, so the number there could soon rise, officials said. Tests were being conducted on about 200 samples per day, and health officials said they expect to boost the number of tests to at least 1,000 a day in the near future.
Last week, US President Trump and members of his administration have said that US containment of the virus is “close to airtight” and that the virus is only as deadly as the seasonal flu. Their statements range from false to unproven, and in some cases, underestimate the challenges that public health officials must contend with in responding to the virus.
