How the Coronavirus Dominated the Seattle Area
No part of the United States has been hit harder by the coronavirus than the Seattle area. The COVID-19 virus has spread to more than a hundred people in the state of Washington as of March 8, 2020. More than seventy cases are in King County, the county where Seattle is located. The virus has caused fifteen deaths in King County. There are also more than 25 cases in Snohomish County to the north, with one person dying from COVID-19.
The Main Site
The spot where the coronavirus has persisted in the Seattle area is in a long-care elder care facility in Kirkland, a town northeast of Seattle across from Lake Washington. The virus spread to many of the residents in the home and various employees. The senior home in Kirkland is considered to be where most of the COVID-19 cases originate.
The main concern is that the elderly are more likely to be negatively impacted by the coronavirus than others. The point is similar to what people might notice with the flu.
Spreading To Other Senior Homes
The COVID-19 virus has spread to many other senior living homes in the Seattle area. One home in the Seattle city limits and another in the eastern suburb of Issaquah have both experienced coronavirus cases.
The issue here is that the coronavirus has a longer incubation period than many other viruses. The World Health Organization states that a person could develop the symptoms of the virus about a week after infection. Therefore, it could potentially spread to various spots before it is detected. The fact that the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to the flu only makes the concern harder to detect.
Possible Travel To China?
There is a theory that a person who was in China recently and had a coronavirus infection might have traveled to Seattle. The Sea-Tac Airport provides regular flights between Seattle and Beijing, Shanghai, and other prominent Asian cities.
A Consideration For Victims
The people who have been infected with the coronavirus may not be at as much harm as people might expect, although the elderly will be at greater risk. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention stated that of the more than 40,000 cases of COVID-19 in the country reviewed as of February 11, nearly 80 percent of those cases were mild. Only 5 percent of those cases were critical.
Still, people who are at least 70 years of age are more likely to develop the infection than others. The concern has made the spread of the coronavirus more noticeable in the Seattle area, especially with there being so many older adults who are contracting the virus.
General Spread
As of March 8, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 164 cases of COVID-19. California and New York have experienced a substantial number of cases, but the state of Washington is by far the most heavily impacted. The effects of the virus in that state have mainly stayed in the Seattle area.