Washington state nursing home on lockdown after two cases of coronavirus found; two other cases confirmed

[March 02, 2020]  (Reuters) - A nursing home near Seattle is locked down after a resident and a worker were found to have the coronavirus, officials at the home said, and two other cases in the area were confirmed on Sunday.

Officials with King County Public Health said the two latest cases involved men in their 60s with underlying medical issues. Both were listed in critical condition, one at Valley Medical Center, and the other at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Separately, officials at the Life Care Center of Kirkland said in a statement late on Saturday that it was not accepting new patients or allowing visitors, family or vendors into the facility while officials focus on the health of the current residents and staff.

The two cases, announced on Saturday by Washington state officials, involved a worker who is in her 40s and in satisfactory condition and a 70-year-old woman who lived there and is in serious condition.

State officials said an additional 27 residents of the nursing home and 25 staff members were reporting symptoms of the virus, which can be similar to that of the common flu.

"Concerned family members or responsible parties may call our facility," the statement said. "The facility is currently placing a hold on admissions as well to fully focus on our current residents and associates."

A representative for the nursing home could not be reached by Reuters on Sunday for further comment.

A sign at the entrance to Life Care Center of Kirkland, the long-term care facility linked to the two of three confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, is pictured in Kirkland, Washington, U.S. March 1, 2020. REUTERS/David Ryder

The nursing home said members of its corporate clinical team were on site to provide assistance and that the home was in contact with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Washington Health Department.

On Saturday, officials said a Washington state man in his 50s with underlying health issues became the United States' first fatality from the coronavirus.

The patient, who was chronically ill before contracting COVID-19, died at EvergreenHealth Hospital in Kirkland, near Seattle, and officials are unsure how he was exposed to the virus, said Jeffrey Duchin, head of the Washington state Health Department's communicable disease unit.

The fast-spreading virus has infected around 83,000 people in more than 50 countries, with about 70 cases in the United States.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)

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