First coronavirus death in US as 52 tested for deadly bug and expert warns ‘this is the tip of the iceberg’
MORE than 50 people at a nursing home in Washington state might have the coronavirus, health officials said hours after the first person in the U.S. died from the virus.
A healthcare worker and a resident at the Life Care Center, located in Kirkland, near Seattle, were confirmed to have the , while another 50 people who started to show symptoms were being tested.
Trump said these travel restrictions on people traveling to and from were a "lifesaver."
LOW RISK?
Vice President Mike Pence, who is overseeing the coronavirus task force, said all Americans were "in this together" after confirming the Level 4 Travel advisory was in effect.
Although he acknowledged the risk to Americans was low, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned this could change "rapidly."
Pence also announced new travel restrictions have now extended to foreign nationals who visited Iran over the past two weeks as the US works with and to coordinate traveler screenings.
FIRST U.S. FATALITY
Before Trump's coronavirus conference, a spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center said the person died in the Kirkland facility, giving no other details.
State and King County health officials said “new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died" — but they didn't confirm how many cases there were in-state.
The patient's identity has yet to be confirmed as Department of Homeland Security officials told Trump is thinking about shutting the southern border — after three patients were diagnosed in .
During his rally Thursday in , Trump blasted the for spreading a virus "hoax" as in Washington state became a third confirmed case in 24 hours here.
Elsewhere, officials in and are also concerned about the illness spreading through West Coast communities after confirming two patients were also infected — but experts don't know how.
A 65-year-old in and an elementary school teacher in both had presumptive cases of the illness.
Neither of those patients had any known history of travel to any countries with outbreaks and neither are believed to be in close contact with anyone who has the virus.
The news comes after the coronavirus outbreak resulted in the since last Friday — but Trump insisted "the markets will come back" on Saturday morning.
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