WASHINGTON– The US reported its first death from the coronavirus in Washington State.
The FDA took steps to speed laboratory tests for the virus as unexplained infections in three states, including Washington, suggested the disease is spreading on the west coast. Italy became the first non-Asian nation to top 1,000 confirmed cases.
More events were scrapped or delayed, from a Paris race to a Riviera property conference to a Greek economic forum, as nations try to discourage travel. The U.S. Surgeon General came out against using face masks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping canceled a rare state visit to Japan in April, Sankei reported. China’s factory activity fell to a record low after weeks of closures caused by the virus.
Key Developments
- Confirmed cases worldwide pass 85,000; deaths top 2,900
- Cases jump in South Korea and Iran, including lawmakers
- New York won U.S. approval to concuct its own tests
- President Trump, CDC planned news conference on virus
- New U.S. cases point to outbreak along the western seaboard
- Chinese manufacturing activity contracts sharply
First US Virus Death in Washington State (1pm NY)
The first person has died from the coronavirus in the U.S., in Washington state, health officials reported on Saturday.
Health authorities in Seattle planned to brief the media later Saturday on virus cases in King County, including new people identified with the infection, one of whom died, according to an advisory from the agencies. Seattle is in King County.
Washington state health officials had earlier identified two new cases, including a school aged adolescent who had no known travel history or encountered anyone who had visited affected areas.
President Donald Trump and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also planned news conferences about the virus on Saturday.
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG
