Gov. Inslee gives update on coronavirus in Wash. State: 16 people now tested

There are now 16 people in Washington state who have been tested for coronavirus, and of those one tested positive and eight are waiting on test results.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared “a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak.”

Governor Jay Inslee, King County Executive Dow Constantine and others gave a briefing Wednesday on the response in Washington state.

One of those being evaluated for possible coronavirus is at Seattle’s Northwest Hospital. The patient was admitted Tuesday afternoon and is in satisfactory condition in isolation. The hospital is working with Public Health – Seattle & King County on the case and expect test results this week. A hospital spokeswoman said it’s unlikely the test results will be positive.

The first case of Wuhan coronavirus was confirmed in Snohomish County on Jan. 21. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a man in his 30s recently returned from a trip to China and was treated at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.

As of Tuesday morning, there are five confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. Follow this link for a locally produced fact sheet about coronavirus.

The CDC said every passenger landing at Sea-Tac International Airport from China gets a health screening with questions, but only those with symptoms get temperatures scanned.

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>> First case of Wuhan coronavirus confirmed in Snohomish County

>> 3 students from UW screened for coronavirus

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