A person died of COVID-19 in Washington, the first death in the United States linked to the disease.
The Washington State Department of Health first announced the death on Saturday.
“It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “In partnership with the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Department of Emergency Management and local and community health partners, we are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts. I am committed to keeping Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed.”
Addressing reporters at the White House, President Trump said the person who died was in their late 50s and was “medically high-risk.” Officials said at the news conference that the patient was not known to have traveled recently.
The identity of the patient who died has not been disclosed.
The World Health Organization raised the coronavirus health risk up to “very high” on Friday, but it has not declared it a pandemic. The virus has spread to six continents, excluding Antarctica. More than 80,000 people have been infected globally, and more than 2,700 people have died, mostly in mainland China. There are roughly 63 patients in the U.S., many of which stemmed from a localized outbreak on a cruise ship.
Trump spoke to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, announcing the appointment of Vice President Mike Pence as the head of the White House’s task force on the coronavirus. “He has got a certain talent for this,” Trump said of Pence.
Democrats in Congress and the 2020 Democratic primary race have criticized Trump’s response to the coronavirus, a deadly virus that has spread to countries around the world, including America. The president, in turn, has accused Democrats of “politicizing the coronavirus.”
“One of my people came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia.’ That didn’t work out too well. They couldn’t do it. They tried the impeachment hoax,” Trump said at Friday rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. “And this is their new hoax.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out a statement late Friday saying California, Oregon, and Washington state found at least four cases of “community spread” of the new virus, with none of the patients traveling outside the U.S. or coming into contact with those infected. “Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown,” according to the CDC.
All of the patients tested positive, but the cases still had to be double-checked by the CDC before they can be officially confirmed.
