2nd coronavirus death reported in the U.S.

Peoria, IL, USA 1470 & 100.3 WMBD

Mar 2, 2020 | 10:22 AM

Dr. Frank Riedo, Medical Director of Infection Control, EvergreenHealth Hospital addresses a news conference at Public Health – Seattle & King County Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Seattle. A man in his 50s with underlying health conditions became the first coronavirus death on U.S. soil. The man had underlying health conditions and no history of travel or contact with a known COVID-19 case, health officials in Washington state said. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

(AP) – Health officials in Washington state said Sunday night that a second person had died from the coronavirus and researchers said it may have been circulating for weeks undetected in the greater Seattle area. The man in his 70s died Saturday. On Friday health officials said a man in his 50s died of the virus. Both had underlying health conditions and both were being treated at a hospital in Kirkland, Washington.

Washington state now has 12 confirmed cases. State and local authorities stepped up testing for the illness as the number of new cases grew nationwide, with new infections announced in California, Illinois, Rhode Island and New York.