Family of woman who is now 1st known COVID-19 fatality in U.S. says she was healthy and active

Patricia Dowd's family attributed her death on Feb. 6 to a heart attack, but this week, they learned she tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, making her the first such documented fatality in the U.S.

Dowd, 57, lived in San Jose, California, and was a manager at a semiconductor company. Before the Santa Clara County medical examiner determined through an autopsy that Dowd had COVID-19, the first documented coronavirus death in the United States was recorded in Kirkland, Washington, on Feb. 29. Santa Clara County health officials did not name Dowd, but her identity was verified with her family by the Los Angeles Times.

Dowd's family said she exercised, wasn't on any medication, and ate healthy. She experienced flu-like symptoms in the days before her death, but seemed to be recovering and worked from home the morning she died. Dowd's brother-in-law, Jeff Macias, told the Times she liked to travel abroad, and so did her co-workers. "Where did this come from if it wasn't her traveling?" he said. "Patricia may not be the first. It's just the earliest we have found so far. Let's keep looking so we know the extent of it — that's the greater good, for everyone else and my family included."

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Santa Clara County health officials also reported two additional newly uncovered COVID-19 deaths, on Feb. 17 and March 6. Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody told the Times this is evidence the coronavirus was spreading in the Bay Area earlier than expected, presumably with "some significant level of virus circulating in our community in early February and probably in late March and who knows how much earlier."

Cody also explained that the coronavirus was detected in the deceased so late because of limited testing, and health officials needing to take the time to study the virus, otherwise it "would be difficult to pick out what was influenza and what was COVID-19."