1st U.S. coronavirus death was Feb. 6, not Feb. 28, California autopsies confirm
California's Santa Clara County announced Tuesday that autopsies had uncovered three early deaths from the COVID-19 coronavirus, including a person who died at home on Feb. 6. Previously, the earliest recorded U.S. death from COVID-19 was Feb. 28 in Kirkland, Washington. Since deaths usually occur about month after exposure to the coronavirus, the implication is that COVID-19 was spreading in the Bay Area by early January. The coronavirus was first confirmed to have entered the U.S. on Jan. 21.
The autopsies also found the coronavirus in a second person who died at home on Feb. 17 and another resident who died March 6, three days earlier than the previously known first COVID-19 death in Santa Clara County. That March 9 death prompted the Silicon Valley area to ban public gatherings, and it was one of five Bay Area counties to institute the nation's first lockdown on March 16.
Santa Clara County said the county medical examiner-coroner's office conducted the autopsies as part of an effort "to carefully investigate deaths throughout the county" from a time when there was "very limited testing" through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the CDC's testing criteria included "only individuals with a known travel history and who sought medical care for specific symptoms." The medical examiner sent samples from the autopsies to the CDC, which confirmed the positive results for coronavirus on Tuesday. "We anticipate additional deaths from COVID-19 will be identified" as the autopsies continue, the county said.
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.
The head of Santa Clara County's government, Dr. Jeff Smith, said earlier this month that data from the CDC and local health officials suggested the coronavirus had arrived in California a lot earlier than "we first believed," most likely "back in December." It wasn't caught, he told the Los Angels Times, "because we were having a severe flu season," and the "symptoms are very much like the flu," especially with more mild COVID-19 cases.
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
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US 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