The Seattle area, home of the first known coronavirus case in the United States and the place where the virus claimed 37 of its first 50 victims, is now seeing evidence that strict containment strategies, imposed in the earliest days of the outbreak, are beginning to pay off \u2014 at least for now.<\/p>\n
Deaths are not rising as fast as they are in other states. Dramatic declines in street traffic show that people are staying home. Hospitals have so far not been overwhelmed. And preliminary statistical models provided to public officials in Washington State suggest that the spread of the virus has slowed in the Seattle area in recent days.<\/p>\n
While each infected person was spreading the virus to an average of 2.7 other people earlier in March, that number appears to have dropped, with one projection suggesting that it was now down to 1.4.<\/p>\n
The researchers who are preparing the latest projections, led by the Institute for Disease Modeling, a private research group in Bellevue, Wash., have been watching a variety of data points since the onset of the outbreak. They include tens of thousands of coronavirus test results, deaths, and mobility information \u2014 including traffic patterns and the movements of anonymous Facebook users \u2014 to estimate the rate at which coronavirus patients are spreading the disease to others.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n An update from Seattle area: \u2014 Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) March 30, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
\n\u2022 Hospitals still seeing “manageable” caseloads
\n\u2022 Data models suggest transmission rate has dropped from 2.7 to 1.4
\n\u2022 Deaths on slower trajectory than many states
\n\u2022 \u201cIt would be grossly irresponsible to stop” distancinghttps:\/\/t.co\/nKomRF9FPy<\/a><\/p>\n