First COVID-19 deaths earlier than thought

Transcript

New details revealed that the very first fatal cases of coronavirus in the US occurred earlier than previously thought.

On Tuesday officials in Santa Clara County, California announced that autopsies now confirmed that two individuals died from coronavirus on February 6 and February 17.

This is three weeks earlier than the first reported fatality in Kirkland, Washington on February 29.

The individuals were a 57-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man.

The medical examiner says the individuals did not have any known travel histories and that it is presumed they contracted the virus from community spread.

The county did not name the woman but on Wednesday the Los Angeles times first reported that her name was Patricia Dowd.

According to Dowd’s brother Rick Cabello, Dowd was in good health.

Posted – 4.23.20