Officials have confirmed that two people in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus, according to ABC News. An adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader has also died.
Both of the US residents lived in Washington state’s King County and had underlying health conditions. To date, 74 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the US.
“It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to their family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus,” said Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee.
The coronavirus, which started in China, has plagued nearly 90,000 people and killed nearly 3,000. Over 90% of these cases have been centered in China; however, the virus is spreading across the globe with South Korea, Italy and Iran suffering the greatest hit.
An adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also died over the weekend. Mohammad Mirmohammadi was 71 years old, according to CNN, and the latest in several Iranian officials to die from the virus. COVID-19 began spreading in Iran last week, eventually killing 66 people by Monday. Over 1500 other cases have been confirmed, but nearly 300 people have recovered.
New York has also received word of its first confirmed case. A 39-year-old health worker who recently traveled to Iran has contracted the virus. She is isolated in her Manhattan apartment currently. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo encouraged caution to his state.
“New Yorkers should not be surprised,” he said. “We’ve been talking about this for days. I have said, it’s not a question of if but when. You see the number of cases around the globe. New York is the gateway to the world. So that’s not shocking.”
He continued: “We want to have a healthy diligence about this issue, but we don’t want any unnecessary anxiety. We don’t want people overreacting. We have to treat it. We have to be serious, but the fear, in my opinion, is outpacing reason at this point.”
New York petitioned the FDA to use its own test for the virus, according to ABC.
“When I spoke to Vice President Pence, I urged him to approve New York State’s Coronavirus test—we just received word that our test has been approved by the FDA. New York State will begin testing immediately at Wadsworth Lab,” Cuomo said. “This approval will expedite wait time and improve New York’s ability to more effectively manage the Coronavirus situation as it unfolds.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Stevan Ovicigor
Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine. She blogs at mikaelamathews.com.
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