Tenth Coronavirus death in Washington, first in California

SEATTLE, Wash.-- Health officials in Washington confirmed a tenth coronavirus death in the state Wednesday morning.

It's the ninth death in King County, where 31 people have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. One death was reported in Snohomish County, with 8 people there confirmed to have the illness that originated in Wuhan, China late last year.

Seattle-based Amazon confirm that one of its workers is among those cases in King County. The employee in Seattle got sick last week and remains isolated at home. Nearly 30 first responders are under quarantine, with 12 of those showing symptoms. All of them responded to the Kirkland nursing home Life Care Center, which is at the center of an outbreak.

Public health officials in Placer County, California say a patient who had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a cruise to Mexico last month is that state's first death related to the outbreak. The individual was an elderly adult with underlying health conditions. Officials said that close contacts of the patient were being quarantined and monitored for the illness.

The state House voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the state Health Secretary's request for $100 million, and the proposal is expected to get approval from the Senate. The money will help the state investigate the disease, help healthcare providers and increase education and awareness efforts.

According to King County Public Health is recommending, but not requiring, the following steps for at least the next three weeks:

People at higher risk of severe illness are encouraged to stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible, especially public places and large gatherings. People at higher risk include:

• People 60 and older
• People with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes.
• People who have weakened immune systems
• People who are pregnant

Employers are asked to put policies in place that that allow people who can work from home to do so as much as possible in an effort to reduce the number of workers who come into contact with COVID-19 and help minimize absenteeism due to illness.