By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews 

Public Health – Seattle & King County officials report four additional cases of COVID-19 in King County residents. This brings the total to 14.

In addition, officials say this includes 2 additional deaths, along with an individual who was previously reported as ill but who has now died. This brings the total number of deaths in King County from COVID-19 to five.

The four new cases are in:

  • A male in his 50s, hospitalized at Highline Hospital. No known exposures. He is in stable but critical condition. He had no underlying health conditions.
  • A male in his 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20
  • A female in her 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20
  • A female in her 80s, a resident of LifeCare, was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. She is in critical condition.
  • In addition, a woman in her 80s, who was already reported as in critical condition at Evergreen, has died. She died on 3/1/20
Image/CDC

On Sunday, March 1, Executive Constantine signed a Proclamation of Emergency in response to COVID-19, enabling “extraordinary measures” to fight the outbreak, including waiving some procurement protocols, and authoring overtime for King County employees, among other powers.

Executive Constantine immediately ordered the purchase of an area motel to be used to isolate patients in recovery as well as those in active treatment. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in a matter of days and available to Public Health by the end of the week. Location details will be made available when the transaction is complete.

In addition, King County will place modular units on public properties in locations throughout King County.

“We have moved to a new stage in the fight to contain and mitigate this outbreak. King County is aligned and organized behind this common mission, with Public Health – Seattle & King County as our lead agency,” said Executive Constantine. “We will direct all available resources to help cities, health-care facilities, businesses, and families continue life as normally as possible. But our best strategies depend on millions of residents actively following established disease prevention guidelines.”

“As we learn more about this outbreak, it’s now more important than ever that we look out for one another and stand strong as a community,” King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci said. “In King County, we are fortunate to have a network of highly skilled public health professionals who are working round-the-clock to assess and respond to the situation, while making sure we are informed with up-to-date information.”