Coronavirus death toll in the U.S. rises to 6

The U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 coronavirus has now risen to six.

Health officials on Monday confirmed four more deaths from the novel coronavirus in Washington state, The Associated Press reports. Of the six coronavirus deaths in Washington, five of the patients were residents of King County, while a sixth was a resident of Snohomish County, CBS News reports.

Four coronavirus deaths in Washington have been linked to a Kirkland nursing home, where 50 people have reported symptoms, The Washington Post reports. Eighteen coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the state.

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This news comes after researchers said on Sunday that the coronavirus may have been spreading undetected for six weeks in Washington state, The Washington Post reports, with biologist Trevor Bedford saying, "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."

On Monday, new coronavirus cases were confirmed in New Hampshire, Illinois, and Oregon, The Wall Street Journal reports, and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Monday told NBC News the virus has "reached outbreak proportions, and likely pandemic proportions." The global death toll from the coronavirus has surpassed 3,000.