The coronavirus death toll in the US is now at 14 after two more people were reported dead in Washington state as the number of confirmed cases across the country jumped to more than 200.
Of the 14 deaths, 13 have been reported in Washington state and one in California.
Many of the cases in Washington, including at least six deaths, have been linked to an outbreak at a nursing home facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.
Thirteen of the Washington deaths have occurred in King County, which is where the nursing home is. One person died in nearby Snohomish County.
The California death was linked to a cruise ship that was still being held 400 miles off the coast on San Francisco on Friday amid fears of a suspected coronavirus outbreak.
An increase in testing countrywide has seen a jump in confirmed cases in at least 19 states and has prompted the likes of California, Washington state, Florida and Hawaii to declare statewide emergencies due to the coronavirus threat.
The coronavirus death toll in the US is now at 14 after two more people were reported dead in Washington state. Many of the cases in Washington, including at least six deaths, have been linked to an outbreak at a nursing home facility (above) in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland
In Los Angeles, a group of 15 friends have tested positive for coronavirus following a trip to an exclusive ski resort in Italy.
Pam Angel told KCBS-TV that her husband and two sons were on the trip and all three have tested positive.
Her husband and one of her adult sons are in self-quarantine in the suburb of Tarzana – 10 miles from Kim Kardashian’s home – but her other son has underlying health issues and is being treated at Providence Tarzana Medical Center.
Pam Angel told KCBS-TV that her husband and two adult sons have coronavirus
‘He can’t talk without coughing. He feels like he has a pallet of bricks on his chest, he’s not eating,’ she said.
The three men were among a group of about 15 who traveled back to the United States on February 27 after visiting Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomite Mountains, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
The Los Angeles County Health Department has confirmed seven cases of coronavirus among a group of travelers who recently returned from northern Italy. But sources told DailyMail.com that the other members of the group, who reside elsewhere, have also fallen ill since returning home.
One of the men on the trip, who is a US citizen, is said to be in a coma in Switzerland where he now resides.
The rest of the men who were on the trip, who were said to be ‘previously healthy guys in their 40s and 50s’, have all since fallen ill with one coughing up blood, according to sources.
They live in states across the U.S, including Arizona where two cases have been reported.
A group of 15 friends – some who live in Los Angeles – have tested positive for coronavirus following a trip to the Cortina d’Ampezzo (above) in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains in February
Three of the men on the trip live in Tarzana, which is about 10 miles from the city of Calabasas and home to Kim Kardashian. The men were among a group of about 15 who traveled back to the United States on February 27 after visiting Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomite Mountains
It comes as California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as cases rose to more than 50 in the state, with San Francisco recording its first two cases – a woman in her 40s, and a man in his 90s who has underlying health conditions.
Also in San Francisco is the Grand Princess cruise ship that has been banned from docking at the local port until passengers and crew complaining of flu-like symptoms during a 15-day roundtrip cruise to Hawaii could be tested for possible coronavirus infection.
On Thursday, the US Coast Guard airlifted a batch of diagnostic kits to the ship via helicopter, and public health officials said samples collected would be flown back to a San Francisco Bay Area state laboratory for testing.
State and local officials acted after learning that 35 people aboard the ship, which is carrying about 3,500 people, had fallen ill, and that two passengers who had traveled on the same vessel for a voyage last month between San Francisco and Mexico later tested positive for coronavirus.
One, an elderly man from Placer County near Sacramento with underlying health conditions, died this week, marking the first documented coronavirus fatality in California. The other, from the Bay area, was described by Newsom as gravely sick.
Health officials say both individuals likely contracted the virus while they were aboard the ocean liner.
The Princess cruise line said fewer than 100 passengers and crew from the Hawaii voyage of its Grand Princess have been identified for testing, including those who were ill.
The predicament of the Grand Princess cruise liner was reminiscent of the Diamond Princess vessel that was quarantined off the coast of Japan in February and was, for a time, the largest concentration of cornoavirus cases outside China.
Some American passengers from that ship were ultimately repatriated to military bases in California for extended quarantines.
The Grand Princess cruise ship has been banned from docking in San Francisco until passengers and crew complaining of flu-like symptoms during a 15-day roundtrip cruise to Hawaii could be tested for possible coronavirus infection
On Thursday, the US Coast Guard airlifted a batch of diagnostic kits to the ship via helicopter, and public health officials said samples collected would be flown back to a San Francisco Bay Area state laboratory for testing
The Grand Princess is currently 400 miles off San Francisco and heading for port having returned from Hawaii after 11 passengers and 10 crew reported symptoms of coronavirus
Meanwhile, health officials in Washington state – who are dealing with the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US – have revealed a concessions vendor at an XFL game attended by 22,000 people and a Homeland Security employee are among the latest to test positive for coronavirus in the Seattle area.
The employee worked at a concessions stand at CenturyLink Field on February 22 during the Seattle Dragons XFL game.
Officials said that the risk to the 22,000 people who attended the XFL game last month was ‘low’.
worker at CenturyLink Field are the latest confirmed cases of coronavirus in Seattle.
Health officials in King County, Washington confirmed on Thursday that an employee who worked at the February 22 Seattle Dragons XFL game at CenturyLink Field has now tested positive for the virus.
‘County officials advise that no extra precautions are required for those who attended the February 22 game or who will attend upcoming events,’ the county health department said in a statement.
‘But all King County residents should know that the risk for infection with COVID-19 is increasing in our community, should be aware of their symptoms, and call their health care provider if they develop a cough, fever, or other respiratory problems.’
Homeland Security notified employees on Thursday night that a worker in the Seattle-area had also tested positive for coronavirus.
The Seattle office, which houses US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Federal Protective Service, has already been closed since Tuesday with employees ordered to work from home.
An employee there had been suspected of having coronavirus after they reported feeling ill soon after visiting nursing home where the major outbreak has occurred.
Health officials in Washington state have revealed a concessions vendor at an XFL game attended by 22,000 people tested positive for coronavirus in the Seattle area
The employee worked at a concessions stand at CenturyLink Field on February 22 during the Seattle Dragons XFL game. Officials said that the risk to the 22,000 people who attended the XFL game last month was ‘low’
Officials in Washington have bought a $4 million motel and set up a coronavirus quarantine site made up of ‘mini hotel room’ trailers as they scramble to deal with the unfolding crisis.
They bought the EconoLodge motel in suburban Seattle for $4 million earlier this week to be used as a quarantine facility for coronavirus patients.
Officials have also started setting up trailers in one neighborhood in what will become a temporary quarantine village that initially won’t have water or sewage.
The two-story, 84-room motel is part of the efforts officials are taking in an epicenter of the outbreak in the US. Its hard surfaces, easy-to-clean floors and separate heating-and-cooling units in each room were exactly what officials were looking for when they started looking for in a quarantine facility.
The doors of each room open to the outside, rather than to a central hallway, reducing the likelihood of contact between the patients. The individual heating-and-cooling units reduce the chance of germs spreading through a ventilation system.
Residents of King County are also being advised to work from home to avoid possible exposure. Officials in the County, which includes Seattle and is home to over 2.2 million people, have urged local businesses to allow employees to telecommute for the next three weeks in an effort to curb the outbreak.
They are also recommending that higher-risk groups – including people over the age of 60, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions or weakened immune systems – stay home and away from large social gatherings.
Meanwhile, public officials in Washington have come under pressure to take more aggressive steps against the outbreak, including closing schools and canceling large events. While the state and Seattle have declared emergencies, giving leaders broad powers to suspend activities, they have not issued any orders to do so.
Health officials in Washington state, where they are dealing with the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US, have bought a $4 million motel for infected patients
Officials in King County, which is where the majority of Washington cases are, also started setting up trailers in one neighborhood in what will become a temporary quarantine village that initially won’t have water or sewage