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THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: Optimistic News From Washington State Where It All Started: Coronavirus Cases Appear To Be Leveling Off

Friday, March 27, 2020

Optimistic News From Washington State Where It All Started: Coronavirus Cases Appear To Be Leveling Off

The Washington Post is reporting that Where coronavirus outbreak started in Washington state, officials see hope as cases appear to be leveling off

The hospital that handled the first cases of coronavirus patients weeks ago is now offering cautious optimism to people across the USA. They believe they may have flattened the curve here.

At Evergreen Health Medical Center, a couple of miles from the Lifecare nursing home where 35 patient deaths were linked to the Coronavirus, officials say the rate of new covid-19 cases has remained steady for two weeks, leveling off to a trickle. Some days, doctors see just one new case and haven’t seen more than four in a single day since mid-March. Few need admission to the intensive care unit, which is now half full, two weeks after overflow necessitated transfers to nearby hospitals.

“We don’t know if this last two weeks has been a calm before the storm or if the social distancing and all those things that are being practiced are working,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Jeff Tomlin, whose hospital has handled 40 of Washington state’s more than 130 virus-related deaths. He said the hospital is no longer overwhelmed, though it still lacks needed supplies.

“You will never hear me declaring victory at any point of this,” he said. “But I can tell you we’re making sure we have enough supplies, beds and ventilators as we can. I’d say we’re gearing up just in case a surge does happen like in New York or in Italy.”

The state saw the nation’s first confirmed covid-19 case on Jan. 31, and the first recorded coronavirus-related death on Feb. 29, initial dire predictions of massive spikes have waned even as testing has increased rapidly. Even though the number of cases in the state grew by as much as 28 percent in one day on March 15 — it has since slowed significantly statewide, as have hospitalizations and deaths.

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