Officials say that 52 people at the Life Care Center are displaying symptoms that align with infection, while two individuals have tested "presumptive positive" for the novel disease.
Proving once again that delays by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have worsened the situation, these new potential cases, which represent nearly half of the entire care facility, serve as more evidence that community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) has indeed arrived.
The two presumptive positive cases of the disease include one staff member and one resident at the facility, the former being a woman in her 40s and the latter being a woman in her 70s, according to reports.
During a recent press conference, Seattle and King County health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin indicated that the worker is currently in "satisfactory" condition, while the elderly resident's status is "serious."
Because of a lack of CDC testing kits, the Life Care Center was unable to adequately determine the health status of its many residents and workers until recently, after the disease had already taken root within the facility.
"If we had the ability to test earlier, I'm sure we would have identified patients earlier," Duchin stated without beating around the bush.
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Washington state reports first death from novel coronavirus
If this isn't bad enough, Washington state has now reported its first death from the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19). According to President Donald Trump, who continues to downplay the situation, the now-deceased individual was in his mid-50s and supposedly had "high-risk" medical concerns.
Duchin told reporters that the man died overnight at the Evergreen Health Hospital, also located in Kirkland.
As of this writing, the official number of Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) cases in Washington is six, based on presumptive testing. However, final testing and confirmation has to come from the CDC, hence the declaration of these cases being presumptive positives.
Don't worry, says the government: Your risk of contracting coronavirus is low
Even as community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) here in the U.S. becomes a painful reality, health officials along with the Trump administration are still insistent that the general public has little to worry about, and that the risk of infection spread is low.
The official claim is that only about 20 percent of people who contract the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) end up requiring hospitalization, while the other 80 percent are able to recover on their own. However, things get tricky when the elderly and immunocompromised are taken into account.
Duchin says he's "very concerned about an outbreak in this setting," referring to senior care facilities where elderly folks live in close contact with each other and their caregivers.
"This is serious and it could get worse," wrote one commenter at The Hill, adding that it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to preparedness.
"There's nothing wrong with being vigilant and prepared. China's example is enough to worry anyone and it's foolish to think that it's hysteria or could never happen here."
"Trump gagged the epidemiologists," wrote another, joking about the Trump administration's continued denial that there's anything at all to worry about with this pandemic.
"Big Brother Pence from the Virus Information Ministry will report all Official Instructions. Any information that makes Trump look bad is fake news."
Be sure to check out the all-new Pandemic.news for up-to-the-minute news about the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19).
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