Washington state on Thursday reported eight more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the death toll there to 74, the most of any US state. The majority of those deaths have come in the Seattle area, clustered around a long-term nursing care facility in the suburb of Kirkland where the respiratory illness first surfaced in the United States.
Washington state has confirmed more than 1,300 cases of COVID-19 statewide, prompting Governor Jay Inslee to sign legislation this week approving $200 million in emergency funds intended to slow the spread of the disease.
At least 199 people have died from coronavirus in the United States, where the number of confirmed cases has surged past 12,000.