State’s coronavirus cases hit 3,700; death toll at 175; new details on early epicenter
The state’s coronavirus case totals on Friday rose to 3,700 and 175 deaths, up from 3,207 cases and 147 deaths on Thursday.
King County’s totals on Friday were 1,760 cases with 125 deaths, and it remains the hardest hit among Washington’s counties, followed by Snohomish County with 913 cases and 23 deaths and Pierce County with 231 cases and five deaths.
On Friday, new modeling from the University of Washington projected a peak in mid-April for the state in terms of hospital resource use.
On Friday, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report on the epicenter of King County’s earliest cases pulled together by representatives from Public Health–Seattle and King County and EvergreenHealth, and assisted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Though it is referred to as “Facility A” in the report, the time line and details match that of Life Care Center of Kirkland, which saw an early outbreak of the coronavirus.
Titled “Epidemiology of COVID-19 in a Long-Term Care Facility in King County, Washington,” the report notes, “As of March 18, a total of 167 confirmed cases of COVID-19 affecting 101 residents, 50 health care personnel and 16 visitors were found to be epidemiologically linked to the facility.”
The report notes that “144 were residents of King County and 23 were residents of Snohomish County.”
“Cases of COVID-19 occurred among facility residents (101 persons), health care personnel (50), and visitors (16). Among facility residents, 118 were tested; 101 results were positive and 17 negative. Most affected persons had respiratory illness consistent with COVID-19; however, chart review of facility residents found that in 7 cases no symptoms had been documented.”
The medical journal earlier this year published details of the first patient in the state treated for COVID-19 in January. The News Tribune reported on the details from that account on March 10, early in the onset of Pierce County’s own outbreak.
The journal’s report warned that care facilities needed to remain vigilant given the first explosive onset:
“As of March 18, a total of 30 long-term care facilities with at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 had been identified in King County.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 4:34 PM.
