Mike Baker
I’ve spent much of the past 24 hours in
Kirkland, Wash. — an epicenter of coronavirus infection — as we pieced together how the region spent weeks with just 1 case, only to have that number suddenly jump to 13, including 2 deaths.
Some key details:
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2nd Death Near Seattle Adds to Signs Virus Is Spreading in U.S.
Researchers now think the virus has been quietly spreading through the region for 6 weeks. That undetected spread came as the government limited testing even as doctors were eager to find out whether their patients had the virus.
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Coronavirus May Have Spread in U.S. for Weeks, Gene Sequencing Suggests
One doctor in Seattle described having a sick patient who had visited China, but officials determined they did not meet testing criteria due to their travel timeline.
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2nd Death Near Seattle Adds to Signs Virus Is Spreading in U.S. Mike Baker on Twitter
Testing is now expanding, and the findings and impacts are troubling:
• 2 dead
• 5 in critical condition
• 6 cases linked to a nursing facility in Kirkland that is home to dozens of elderly people.
• ¼ of Kirkland firefighters quarantined.
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“We’re really aggressively sampling in Washington State now, because we feel like it has been here and we haven’t had the ability to lab test."
2nd Death Near Seattle Adds to Signs Virus Is Spreading in U.S.
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Mike Baker on Twitter
But some patients still aren’t getting tested. We talked to family members of one woman at the Kirkland nursing home who has been coughing for days. Her daughters want her tested, but they say she hasn’t been.
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We talked to one person (by phone) who was in isolation and being tested and had been sick for weeks. As he spoke, he coughed and had to pause to catch his breath. “Hold on, I’ve got to take a deep breath, slow it down a bit.”
“It’s been a nightmare.”
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We also reviewed 100s of pages of records on the nursing home linked to 6 of the 13 cases. Among the findings: In 2019, investigators found the facility had failed to ensure that staff followed “transmission-based precautions.”
2nd Death Near Seattle Adds to Signs Virus Is Spreading in U.S.
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Mike Baker on Twitter
P.S. And when I say "we" in this thread, there are a lot of people making this journalism. For this story, I was amazed at what @sherifink, @nickatnews and @jackhealynyt were able to find. Follow them.
which hubby assures me will be fine but , does he assume there will be hamburger ? I'm just fine without it but hes a carnivore , who knows what he thinking but I'm sure he has some sort of plan , he watches too many of those Alaska and prepper shows that make me glaze over, apparently we will be clean( if there is water)
