First Bay Area coronavirus deaths were in February, Santa Clara County says

The first person in the Bay Area to die from COVID-19 died Feb. 6, Santa Clara County officials said, well before the Feb. 29 deaths in Washington State thought to be the first in the nation.|
MATT HAMILTON AND PAIGE ST. JOHN
LOS ANGELES TIMES

SAN FRANCISCO - Two coronavirus-infected people died in Santa Clara County on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, the medical examiner revealed Tuesday, making them the first documented COVID-19 fatalities in the United States.

Until now, the first fatalities were believed to have occurred in Kirkland, Washington, on Feb. 29.

Officials previously had said the first Silicon Valley death was March 9. But the Santa Clara County medical examiner revealed Tuesday that people who died Feb. 6, Feb. 17 and March 6 also died of COVID-19.

“These three individuals died at home during a time when very limited testing was available only through the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Testing criteria set by the CDC at the time restricted testing to only individuals with a known travel history and who sought medical care for specific symptoms,” the county said in a statement. “As the Medical Examiner-Coroner continues to carefully investigate deaths throughout the county, we anticipate additional deaths from COVID-19 will be identified.”

Silicon Valley was an early center of the coronavirus outbreak. So far it has reported nearly 2,000 cases and eight deaths.

In January and most of February, there was little if any community testing in California.

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