A woman in her 50s died on Saturday February 29 in King County, Washington, after contracting the coronavirus. It is the first death linked to the epidemic on American territory.
At a press conference, President Donald Trump announced that she was one of 22 officially diagnosed positive persons on American territory, not counting the 44 infected passengers of the Diamond Princess.
"It is a sad day in our state," said Washington Governor Jay Inslee in a statement, which extended condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased patient.
The patient who died of the virus in Washington State is not the first American citizen to die from the Covid-19. A 60-year-old man hospitalized in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus first appeared, died on February 6.
Tighter restrictions on travelers from Iran
The United States announced on Saturday a tightening of restrictions on people from Iran, where more than 40 deaths from the coronavirus have been recorded.
The restrictions already in place for Iranians now extend to anyone who has visited Iran in the past 14 days, said Vice President Mike Pence.
Donald Trump also announced that he is "examining" possible travel restrictions on the border with Mexico.
He called on the media to "not encourage panic" and called the criticisms leveled at him by the Democratic camp on his handling of the health crisis "hoax".
With AFP and AP
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