Death toll in US coronavirus rises to 6

With deaths of four more people in the deadly coronavirus or COVID-19, the death toll in the US state of Washington has risen to six, authorities said.

Dr Jeff Duchin, chief health officer for the Seattle and King County Public Health agency, announced the increase in fatalities from COVID-19 at a news conference on Monday, as authorities across the country scrambled to prepare for more infections with an emphasis on ratcheting up the number of available test kits.

Researchers had previously said that the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks in Washington state. After the first death, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency.

Eight of the 18 total cases in the state and four of the deaths are linked to a nursing facility in the Seattle area, Duchin said. At least four of the six people who have died were elderly or had underlying health conditions, he added.

"We expect the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming days and weeks, and we are taking this situation extremely seriously," he said, adding that, like in most of the world, the vast majority of diagnosed patients have mild to moderate disease and do not require hospitalisation.

According to the latest information, the number of cases in the US had risen to 100. So far, 10 states, including California, New York, Oregon, Florida, and Rhode Island have confirmed or presumed coronavirus cases.

Since the virus first appeared in the city of Wuhan, China, in December it has infected over 89,000 people worldwide, killing over 3,000.

Government military laboratories have been working to develop a vaccine for virus, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Mark Milley, told a news conference on Monday.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said that his administration has asked pharmaceutical companies to accelerate work on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, but provided no details.

Top US health officials have said any vaccine is up to 18 months away.

There is currently no treatment for the respiratory disease, although patients can receive supportive care.

The US Congress is expected to take up a spending measure in coming days that could allocate billions more dollars for the virus response.

Source: Agencies

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