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First virus death in U.S., Washington state declares emergency

A staff member blocks the view as a person is taken by a stretcher to a waiting ambulance from a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Kirkland, Wash. (AP/Elaine Thompson)

The governor of Washington declared a state of emergency Saturday after a man died there of coronavirus, the first such reported death in the United States.

More than 50 people in a nursing facility are sick and being tested for the virus.

Gov. Jay Inslee directed state agencies to use “all resources necessary” to prepare for and respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

The declaration also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary.