- The United States reported the first death due to coronavirus.
- The man in his 50s died in Washington state and had never traveled to high-risk areas.
- Washington Governor declared a state of emergency in response to new cases in the state.
- Officials are investigating a possible outbreak of the coronavirus at a local nursing home.
- 27 residents and 25 staff members at the center reported some sort of symptoms.
- The country has placed a ban on travel from Iran and expanded to include any foreign national who has visited the country within the last 14 days.
According to an article published in BBC News, the first death due to coronavirus has been reported in the United States.
More cases expected
Officials said the patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions and residing in Washington. President Donald Trump said more cases were “likely“ but added that the country was prepared for any circumstance.
More than 85,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in 57 countries around the world and almost 3,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of infections and deaths are in China, where the virus emerged late last year.
What is happening in the US?
Local health officials confirmed over the weekend that the man in his 50s died in Washington state’s King County. They said he had not travelled to any high-risk areas. Washington Governor Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency in response to new cases in the state.
It comes as officials on the US West Coast – in California, Oregon, and Washington – expressed concerns about cases appearing in patients who had not visited an area where there was an outbreak or been in contact with anyone who had.
Nursing homes inspected
Officials in Washington state were investigating a possible outbreak of the coronavirus at a local nursing home.
Dr Jeffrey Duchin, a health official for Washington’s Seattle and King County, said there were two cases associated with the long-term care facility Life Care Center of Kirkland – one a healthcare worker and the other a resident in her 70s.
Dr. Duchin said about 27 residents and 25 staff members at the centre had “some sort of symptoms“. Officials said more positive cases were expected. In total, the WHO says there have been 62 cases in the US so far. A US citizen previously died in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first appeared.
Actions taken by the US
While acknowledging that more cases were expected, President Trump sought to quell fears over the outbreak, saying that “there is no reason to panic at all“.
Vice-President Mike Pence also announced that an existing ban on travel from Iran had been expanded to include any foreign national who has visited the country within the last 14 days.
Iran has reported the most coronavirus deaths outside China.
He also urged Americans not to visit hard-hit areas in global hot-spots Italy and South Korea.
American Airlines has said it is suspending flights to the northern Italian city Milan. The airline will operate a single daily flight from the US to Italy, between Philadelphia and Rome.
Virus toll reaches a new high
On Sunday, another 573 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in China, in the highest daily increase in a week. The latest figures bring the total number of infections to 79,824.
Thirty-five deaths were also announced in China, all but one in the worst-affected Hubei province.
Outside China, South Korea has reported another 376 cases, bringing the total of infections in the country to more than 3,500.
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Source: BBCNews
