The first known COVID-19 deaths in the United States occurred in Santa Clara County, and far earlier than thought, according to autopsy reports released by officials late Tuesday.
In a statement, Santa Clara County Public Health said the first known COVID-19-associated death in the country happened on Feb. 6. Up to this point, it was believed that the first reported COVID-19 death in the United States occurred in Washington State on Feb. 29.
The newly identified cases occurred before what was initially thought to be the first reported death in the county on March 9.
County officials performed autopsies on the two Santa Clara County individuals who died in February and sent tissue samples from both cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Confirmation from the CDC that the samples were positive for the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, came back Tuesday.
County officials said the people died at a time when testing for COVID-19 was restricted to those with a history of travel or who went to the doctor for specific symptoms. They had no known travel history to China, suggesting that they had contracted the coronavirus through community transmission. This suggests the virus was circulating in California far earlier than experts thought.
-- KQED and wires