The first U.S. COVID death was reportedly a month before everyone thought
Kansas great-grandmother Lovell "Cookie" Brown died on Jan. 9, 2020. Originally, her death certificate cited "chronic obstructive lung disease," but it has since been updated to include COVID-19, making her the first official coronavirus death in the U.S.
The Mercury News reports that Brown's family only learned of the amendment to her death certificate this week. Previously, the first recorded COVID death in the U.S. was Feb. 6, 2020.
Peaches Foster, Brown's daughter, had wondered for a while if her mother had died from COVID. It was confirmed this week when she read "COVID-19 pneumonia" on her mother's revised death certificate — she "burst into tears," reports The Mercury News. It's still unclear where or how Brown may have contracted the virus.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
John Eplee, a Kansas state lawmaker and physician, told Mercury News that Brown's case suggests the virus was "percolating" in the U.S. "before experts realized it." Similarly, an investigation found that five other U.S. death certificates from Jan. 2020 had been amended to include COVID-19. Investigations like these spark questions about just how many unreported COVID cases and deaths there may be.
In May, University of Washington researchers analyzed COVID death rates and found that the roughly 600,000 death count in the U.S. is likely closer to one million, U.S. News reports. Globally, they attribute 6.9 million deaths to the coronavirus instead of the reported 3.2 million. Yes, you read that correctly — they believe twice as many people have died.
COVID-19 has apparently been sweeping through the U.S. since the very beginning of 2020 and no one knew. "I think this will go on forever," Eplee predicted. "We'll be gone, and we'll still be speculating about how and where it started." Read more at The Mercury News.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 race
Speed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burger
Speed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'
The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
By The Week UK Published
-
FDA OKs new Covid vaccine, available soon
Speed read The CDC recommends the new booster to combat the widely-circulating KP.2 strain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mpox: how dangerous is new health emergency?
Today's Big Question Spread of potentially deadly sub-variant more like early days of HIV than Covid, say scientists
By The Week UK Published
-
What is POTS and why is it more common now?
The explainer The condition affecting young women
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Brexit, Matt Hancock and black swans: five takeaways from Covid inquiry report
The Explainer UK was 'unprepared' for pandemic and government 'failed' citizens with flawed response, says damning report
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Should masks be here to stay?
Talking Points New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a mask ban. Here's why she wants one — and why it may not make sense.
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published