Tuesday: COVID-19 death toll reaches 9 in state

OLYMPIA (March 3) -- The COVID-19 coronavirus death count in Washington reached nine on March 3, including two people whose test results were released posthumously.

On Monday, when six deaths had been reported, health officials asked state lawmakers for $100 million to attack the outbreak

As of Tuesday, 27 people tested positive for the virus in Snohomish and King counties, up from 18 the day before.

The three newly confirmed deaths were all residents of Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland.

The Life Care Center nursing home has been the nexus for multiple infected patients, some of whom were employees at the facility.

To date, eight of the deaths have been in King County, the other was in Snohomish.

All the confirmed deaths to this point have been elderly people or people with underlying health problems.

[Sources: King County Department of Health and Snohomish County Department of Health.]