US health officials say two died of virus in California in early, mid-February

Health officials say two people died with the coronavirus in California weeks before the first reported death in the United States from the disease.

Santa Clara County officials say the people died at home February 6 and February 17. The first reported death in the nation from the virus was on February 29 in Kirkland, Washington.

The Medical Examiner-Coroner received confirmation Tuesday that tissue samples sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested positive for the virus, officials say.

The announcement came after California Gov. Gavin Newsom promises a “deep dive” update Wednesday into the state’s ability to test for the coronavirus and to track and isolate people who have it. That is one of the six indicators he says is key to lifting a “stay-at-home” order that has slowed the spread of the disease while forcing millions of people to file for unemployment benefits.

“This will go to the obvious questions and queries that all of us are asking: When? … When do you see a little bit of a release in the valve so that we can let out a little of this pressure,” Newsom says.

— AP