Washington Marks 1 Year Since Nation's 1st Coronavirus Diagnosis

SEATTLE — Wednesday marks one year since the first known coronavirus case in the United States was diagnosed in a Snohomish County man, just a few days after he returned home from a trip to China.

For two weeks, the 35-year-old patient was monitored around the clock at an Everett hospital. When he was discharged in early February, only 11 people in five states had lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections in the U.S. The resulting illness, which would soon become known around the globe as COVID-19, had yet to be named.

Just a few weeks later, King County officials would call a Saturday morning news conference to announce the nation's first known death linked to the virus, disclosing a cluster of illnesses at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, where more than three dozen residents would die within a month.

By late March, Gov. Jay Inslee would announce the "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, the state's first round of sweeping restrictions on businesses and activities. The governor's order ultimately remained intact through May, replaced first by the Safe Start initiative, and most recently by the "Healthy Washington" plan.

In the year since that first diagnosis, the pandemic has surged to once-unthinkable levels across the United States, leading the globe in total coronavirus cases and deaths. On Tuesday, the nation surpassed 400,000 dead from COVID-19 among more than 24 million infections logged since the virus arrived. The pace of deaths has picked up through the winter, and Jan. 12 was the single deadliest day of the pandemic to date.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts the nation's death toll could climb to 567,000 by May 1 if the current trajectory continues.

While Washington has avoided the staggering level of illness seen elsewhere in the nation, the state's case count is nearing 300,000, and at least 3,940 Washingtonians have died from COVID-19 complications, according to state data.

Through the latest trends suggest Washington has passed its third peak in cases, officials are wary of a rebound in new infections following the winter holidays, especially as the arrival of more-contagious strains spreading elsewhere appears imminent.

One piece of good news arrived earlier in the week, as the state moved into the first tier of Phase 1B and adjusted the threshold to allow vaccinations for all Washingtonians ages 65 and older.

The state will also set up four mass vaccination sites across the state to boost immunization rates, and it announced a public-private partnership with some of Washington's largest companies to help facilitate large-scale distribution efforts. More vaccination clinics are planned to open soon in King and Pierce counties.

As Washington and other states continue to navigate supply chain issues on the federal level, local leaders have expressed some optimism that the incoming Biden administration will help facilitate a needed boost to vaccine production and delivery.

On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Health also added vaccine metrics to its online dashboard to help residents track progress toward its goal of 45,000 doses per day. As of Tuesday, state data showed nearly 300,000 doses administered across the state, with a current average of 14,064 per day.

Washingtonians can now check to see if they qualify for vaccine using the online Phase Finder tool, which will serve as proof of eligibility for those within activated phases and offer notifications for those who will become eligible in later tiers.

Related: Washington Moves Into Next Phase Of Vaccinations

This article originally appeared on the Kirkland Patch