FIRST CORONAVIRUS DEATH IN THE USA : Confirmed In Seattle, Washington

Testing for Coronavirus

FIRST CORONAVIRUS DEATH IN THE USA (Source New York Times 2/29/2020)
Coronavirus Updates: First Death in U.S. Confirmed In Seattle Area. The death comes as unexplained new cases in Washington State, Oregon and California suggest local, person-to-person spread of the virus in the United States.

RIGHT NOWA person in King County, Washington, near Seattle, has become the first in the country to die after contracting the coronavirus.F.D.A. allows new coronavirus tests. Some are already in the works.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday that it was authorizing American laboratories to develop their own coronavirus tests, which should significantly increase the country’s testing capacity.

The effect could be rapid. About 80 labs and private companies have applied for emergency approval for tests they have already created. If they have submitted evidence that the tests work, the labs and companies will be able to use them immediately, rather than wait for the F.D.A. to complete reviews and issue approvals.

Coronavirus seen under microscope

“This action today reflects our public health commitment to addressing critical public health needs and rapidly responding and adapting to this dynamic and evolving situation,” the F.D.A.’s commissioner, Stephen M. Hahn, said in a statement.

Experts have been frustrated with the limited availability of coronavirus tests in the U.S., which until now could only be provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Broader testing will enable more rapid detection and isolation of people who have the coronavirus to help contain the spread of disease. Troubling new signs of how the coronavirus is spreading in the United States and United Kingdom have emerged, as cases not explained by overseas travel or contact with a person known to be infected were reported in California, Oregon and Washington State, as well as England.