A patient died in Washington state after contracting the coronavirus, a spokesman for the state health department said on Saturday. It was the first death linked to the epidemic in the United States. According to President of the Country Donald Trump, the deceased was a woman in her 50s. The latest estimate provided by Donald Trump on Saturday reports that 22 people have been diagnosed with the virus in the United States. Three patients diagnosed in recent days had no known link to an outbreak, suggesting that the disease is spreading across the country. To these cases are added 47 patients repatriated to the United States.
"It's a sad day in our state"
President Donald Trump spoke in the early afternoon to the press, especially on the latest developments related to the coronavirus. The death occurred in King County, which includes the city of Seattle, authorities said to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT).
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"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. "We will continue to work so that no one dies of this virus anymore," he added.
An American citizen had already lost his life in China because of the virus
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.
The epidemic has already killed more than 2,900 people worldwide, the vast majority in China (2,835), and infected more than 85,000 people (more than 79,000 in China).