Previously, the first COVID-19 death in the county was thought to have occurred on 9 March. The updated statistics include two people who died at home and a third whose location of death was not specified. The first US COVID-19 death might have occurred in California on 6 February - three weeks before the first reported death, in Washington state.Īfter autopsies, three people who died in Santa Clara County between 6 February and 6 March have been confirmed as having died of COVID-19, according to a statement released by the county’s department of public health on 21 April. Ģ2 April 17:05 bst - Deaths suggest the coronavirus was in the United States weeks earlier than thought Read highlights from the coronavirus research literature here.
Find Nature ’s latest coronavirus coverage here. Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty
The first US deaths related to coronavirus might have occurred weeks earlier than previously thought.
