Characteristics and Outcomes of 21 Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 in Washington State

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an emerging health threat.¹ Until February 2020, most cases were described in non-US health systems.^2,3 One of the first deaths in the US was reported at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, Washington. Over the following weeks, multiple cases of COVID-19 were identified in the surrounding community and treated at Evergreen Hospital. Most were attributed to US transmission, and the majority were linked to exposures at a skilled nursing facility.