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A seemingly healthy woman's sudden death is now the first known US coronavirus-related fatality, LA Times reports
cnn.com
(CNN)A seemingly healthy 57-year-old Bay Area woman who "suddenly died" in early February has now become the first known US death related to coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
Patricia Dowd, who worked as a manager for a semiconductor company, "exercised routinely, watched her diet and took no medication," the newspaper reported.
Rick Cabello, Dowd's older brother, told CNN she didn't smoke and was in good health.
"She was an athlete in her high school days, she was always active," Cabello said. Her sudden death was a shock to family members. They all believed it was a heart attack, Cabello said.
The report came after Santa Clara County announced Tuesday that tissue samples confirmed two people who had died in early February tested positive for coronavirus. One victim, who the county said died on February 6, was described as a 57-year-old woman while the other was a 67-year-old man who died on February 17. The county did not provide any more details.
In a Wednesday news conference, Santa Clara County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody said neither case had recent travel history that would have exposed them to the virus, and officials are presuming both cases represent community transmission.
'She had flu-like symptoms'
Before Dowd was found dead on February 6, "she had flu-like symptoms for a few days, then appeared to recover," the Los Angeles Times reported.
Five days before she died, Dowd called her brother to tell him she couldn't make it to a family visit in Stockton, California.
"She wasn't feeling well, which was very unusual for her," Cabello said. "I remember her specifically saying 'I'm not feeling well,'" he added.
The Los Angeles Times reported that she had cancelled plans to go a weekend funeral.
Dowd started working from home as her condition improved and had been in touch with a colleague around 8 a.m. on the day of her death. She was found dead about two hours later, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A traveler and 'everybody's rock'
Dowd was a frequent world traveler, her brother said.
A family member told the Los Angeles Times she had planned to travel to China later this year and went abroad "multiple times a year to different global locations." The Los Angeles Times also reported that Dowd had a history of foreign travel, as did her co-workers at Lam Research.
Dowd was "hardworking, loyal, and caring," Cabello told the Los Angeles Times.
"She was the energy person in her large network of friends," her brother said. "She was everybody's rock."
In a tribute wall set up for Patricia Dowd by the Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary, a coworker wrote, "I'll always remember the kindness and generosity of her spirit. She was genuinely caring and had an amazing energy."
As more deaths are investigated, more positives may come
• December 31, 2019: China reports mysterious pneumonia cases to the World Health Organization.
• January 7, 2020: China says the cases were caused by a new coronavirus.
• January 17: US starts screening for symptoms at certain airports.
• January 21: First US case confirmed in Washington state.
• January 31: US says it will deny entry to foreign nationals who've traveled in China in the last 14 days.
• February 6: A person in California's Santa Clara County dies of coronavirus; link not confirmed until April 21.
• February 17: A second person in California's Santa Clara County dies of coronavirus; link not confirmed until April 21.
• February 26: CDC announces what's then thought to be the first possible US case of community spread, in California.
• February 29: A patient dies of coronavirus in Washington state -- then believed to be the country's first novel coronavirus death.
Neither of the two victims who died in February had been tested for the virus at the time of their deaths because testing capacity was limited, Santa Clara County said in a news release Tuesday.
Tests were only available through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and were restricted to people who had a known travel history and showed certain symptoms.
Both of the victims who passed away in February had flu-like symptoms before dying, county officials said.
"Because there was continued suspicion by the medical examiner that these deaths were caused by Covid-19, the medical examiner sent autopsy tissue to the CDC for definitive testing," the coroner's office said in a statement.
As the county investigates more deaths, it's likely that more will be tied to the virus, officials said. And that adds to evidence that suggests the current case and death tallies across the country may be significant undercounts.
cnn.com
(CNN)A seemingly healthy 57-year-old Bay Area woman who "suddenly died" in early February has now become the first known US death related to coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
Patricia Dowd, who worked as a manager for a semiconductor company, "exercised routinely, watched her diet and took no medication," the newspaper reported.
Rick Cabello, Dowd's older brother, told CNN she didn't smoke and was in good health.
"She was an athlete in her high school days, she was always active," Cabello said. Her sudden death was a shock to family members. They all believed it was a heart attack, Cabello said.
The report came after Santa Clara County announced Tuesday that tissue samples confirmed two people who had died in early February tested positive for coronavirus. One victim, who the county said died on February 6, was described as a 57-year-old woman while the other was a 67-year-old man who died on February 17. The county did not provide any more details.
In a Wednesday news conference, Santa Clara County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody said neither case had recent travel history that would have exposed them to the virus, and officials are presuming both cases represent community transmission.
'She had flu-like symptoms'
Before Dowd was found dead on February 6, "she had flu-like symptoms for a few days, then appeared to recover," the Los Angeles Times reported.
Five days before she died, Dowd called her brother to tell him she couldn't make it to a family visit in Stockton, California.
"She wasn't feeling well, which was very unusual for her," Cabello said. "I remember her specifically saying 'I'm not feeling well,'" he added.
The Los Angeles Times reported that she had cancelled plans to go a weekend funeral.
Dowd started working from home as her condition improved and had been in touch with a colleague around 8 a.m. on the day of her death. She was found dead about two hours later, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A traveler and 'everybody's rock'
Dowd was a frequent world traveler, her brother said.
A family member told the Los Angeles Times she had planned to travel to China later this year and went abroad "multiple times a year to different global locations." The Los Angeles Times also reported that Dowd had a history of foreign travel, as did her co-workers at Lam Research.
Dowd was "hardworking, loyal, and caring," Cabello told the Los Angeles Times.
"She was the energy person in her large network of friends," her brother said. "She was everybody's rock."
In a tribute wall set up for Patricia Dowd by the Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary, a coworker wrote, "I'll always remember the kindness and generosity of her spirit. She was genuinely caring and had an amazing energy."
As more deaths are investigated, more positives may come
• December 31, 2019: China reports mysterious pneumonia cases to the World Health Organization.
• January 7, 2020: China says the cases were caused by a new coronavirus.
• January 17: US starts screening for symptoms at certain airports.
• January 21: First US case confirmed in Washington state.
• January 31: US says it will deny entry to foreign nationals who've traveled in China in the last 14 days.
• February 6: A person in California's Santa Clara County dies of coronavirus; link not confirmed until April 21.
• February 17: A second person in California's Santa Clara County dies of coronavirus; link not confirmed until April 21.
• February 26: CDC announces what's then thought to be the first possible US case of community spread, in California.
• February 29: A patient dies of coronavirus in Washington state -- then believed to be the country's first novel coronavirus death.
Neither of the two victims who died in February had been tested for the virus at the time of their deaths because testing capacity was limited, Santa Clara County said in a news release Tuesday.
Tests were only available through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and were restricted to people who had a known travel history and showed certain symptoms.
Both of the victims who passed away in February had flu-like symptoms before dying, county officials said.
"Because there was continued suspicion by the medical examiner that these deaths were caused by Covid-19, the medical examiner sent autopsy tissue to the CDC for definitive testing," the coroner's office said in a statement.
As the county investigates more deaths, it's likely that more will be tied to the virus, officials said. And that adds to evidence that suggests the current case and death tallies across the country may be significant undercounts.
