This Week Marks 2 Years Since First COVID-19 Death in Washington

OLYMPIA, WA — On Feb. 29, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first-ever confirmed COVID-19 death in the country. The victim, a man in his 50s, was a Washington resident, a patient from a long-term care facility in Kirkland.

Accounting for the leap year, Tuesday marked two years since that man's death, and several local leaders marked the occasion by looking back at two years of pandemic protocols.

“There wasn’t a playbook when COVID hit, but King County residents worked together," said King County Executive Dow Constantine in a news release. "Our largest employers and small businesses, friends and neighbors have followed the science and expertise of our public health leaders to achieve some of the highest vaccination rates in the nation.”

That Kirkland man's death has since been followed by 949,000 more COVID-19 deaths in the country, including 11,865 more Washingtonians.

All those deaths, and the many COVID-19 restrictions and regulations have upended all our lives, but fortunately it appears the worst of the pandemic now in the rear view.

"The last two years have been hard. We know you’re weary and we’re hopeful we’ll soon see a sense of normal life in schools, hospitals and businesses," wrote Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Communicable Disease Director Nigel Turner in a recent blog post. "As cases decline, we look forward to a time when life becomes more predictable. That means hope for an end to our lives being disrupted."

Earlier this year, the omicron wave of COVID-19 infections pushed the pandemic to a record high, peaking in mid-January at around 19,000 new COVID-19 cases a day in Washington. Since then, however, that wave has come crashing down. King County - which historically has had some of the strictest COVID-19 regulations - recently lifted its vaccine verification requirements for most businesses, and the state and most counties are preparing to lift mask mandates starting March 12.

“The last two years have challenged all of us, taking a toll on our community and our day-to-day lives," Constantine said. "Entering the next phase of our COVID response should be a moment for all of us to reflect on the loss and pain of the last two years, but also a chance to look forward to the recovery and future we’re building together.”