Coronavirus: Washington state death toll rises to 66, official figures say

Infections expected to double every week unless emergency measures followed

The death toll in Washington state – epicentre of the coronavirus crisis in the US – has leapt to 66 from 52 a day earlier.

Health officials in King County, which includes much of Seattle, announced the new deaths.

They said five of the ten new deaths were of people who been residents of the Life Care Centre in the suburb of Kirkland.

“Covid-19 is spreading in King County. We expect the case count to double every 5–7 days unless these orders to stay away from others are followed diligently,” the county health department said in a statement.

“Already, we can expect that anyone we come into contact with may be infected because there is wide-spread infection in our community. It’s critical to minimise the number of people who get seriously ill at the same time.”

Officials added: “If too many people get sick all at once, this will put too much of a burden on our health care system.”

The announcement came as governor Jay Inslee announced a 30-day statewide moratorium on evictions of tenants as the state continued to try and contain the spread of the disease.