SEATTLE -- The Seattle area, home of the first known coronavirus case in the United States and the place where the virus claimed 37 of its first 50 victims, is now seeing evidence that strict containment strategies, imposed in the earliest days of the outbreak, are beginning to pay off -- at least for
SEATTLE — The Seattle area, home of the first known coronavirus case in the United States and the place where the virus claimed 37 of its first 50 victims, is now seeing evidence that strict containment strategies, imposed in the earliest days of the outbreak, are beginning to pay off — at least for now.
The progress is precarious, and the data, which was still being analyzed and has yet to be published, is uncertain. Officials said that expansive social distancing policies will remain a key part of daily life for weeks to come. But the governor said that the state was far from turning a corner. While there are indications of improvement, he said, he has also seen numbers in the past few days that still have him worried, including a rise in positive test results statewide and the emergence of new cases in rural areas.
The largest outbreak in the country is now in New York, which reported 237 deaths Sunday, the state’s deadliest day so far. The number of confirmed cases there jumped by 7,200, reaching 59,513. More than half — 33,768 — were in New York City, where hospitals and the city’s 911 system have been overwhelmed.
Within a week, the county was asking organizations to consider postponing large events and for people to work from home if possible. People over 60 were encouraged to remain indoors. Some of the region’s major employers, including the headquarters campuses of Amazon and Microsoft, responded by encouraging workers to work from home, quieting workplace hubs that would otherwise be bustling during commutes and lunchtime.
After scientists found evidence that the virus had been circulating weeks before some of the earliest cases were identified, researchers from local groups, led by the Institute for Disease Modeling, began looking at what it would take to slow the progress of the virus. On March 10, they developed projections showing that significant changes in human-to-human contact would be needed to avert hundreds more deaths by April 8.
Over the following days, both Washington and New York states adopted increasingly stringent restrictions, closing schools, bars and restaurants and ultimately issuing stay-at-home orders. Ubah Dahraan, who drives for Uber and Lyft in Seattle, said she began seeing business decline in the first week of March, well before the major mandates imposed by state and local leaders, as city residents started to stay home voluntarily.
“The threat of a rebound that could overwhelm the health care system remains, and will remain for the foreseeable future, if we let up too soon,” Duchin said.
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