Coronavirus gets foothold in Washington state

Six people have died of COVID-19 in Washington state as of Tuesday morning. Several of them lived at the Life Care Center of Kirkland nursing home near Seattle. The first reported U.S. case of the disease caused by the new coronavirus happened in the state, and it might have spread for weeks undetected. The Washington State Department of Health reported 18 cases in King and Snohomish counties on Tuesday. Doctors have confirmed more than 100 cases throughout the United States.

What is the federal government doing about it? President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet met on Monday with 10 pharmaceutical executives about developing a vaccine. Lawmakers are working on a bipartisan emergency funding measure to fight the epidemic. And the Federal Reserve cut the benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point on Tuesday to offset economic losses brought on by fear of the disease. After a rough week last week, U.S. stocks rebounded on Monday.

Dig deeper: Check out June Cheng’s conversation about coronavirus prevention with the doctor in charge of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group.