Coronavirus may have been spreading in Washington state for weeks: experts
By Jackie Salo
March 1, 2020 | 12:06pm
Washington state’s coronavirus outbreak that claimed a life over the weekend suggests that the bug has been spreading there for nearly six weeks, according to experts.
Trevor Bedford, an associate professor at the University of Washington, said that one of the state’s recent cases appears to be linked to a Snohomish County man who was identified Jan. 19 as the country’s first coronavirus patient, the New York Times reported.
Bedford and a research team found similarities while comparing the genetic sequence of the two samples that indicated the recent case had been descended from the other, suggesting that there has been community spread throughout the region, the outlet reported.
“I believe we’re facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China,†Bedford tweeted.
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https://nypost.com/2020/03/01/coronavirus-may-have-been-spreading-in-washington-state-for-weeks-experts/
