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two people who tested positive for the new coronavirus died in Florida, marking the first known deaths on the East Coast. The two people who died were in their 70s and had traveled overseas, according to officials. These two deaths bring the U.S. death toll from covid-19 to 17, of which 14 were in the state of Washington and one in California. Health officials also said two older male patients in Broward County, Florida had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Later in the day, Washington state said two more people had died, raising the state’s total toll to 16, and the country’s to 19.
New York Declares State of Emergency as Florida Reports First Coronavirus Deaths on East Coast (Slate). This is just grim. I know the numbers are small so far, but exponential growth is expected. Are coronavirus diseases equally deadly? (NBC) "Comparing the latest coronavirus to MERS and SARS."

1) [T]here were 8,098 reported cases of SARS and 774 deaths. Infections were primarily through person-to-person transmissions. Mortality rate: 9.63%
2) [T]here have been 2,494 reported cases of MERS, and 858 deaths from the virus. Infections occurred primarily from close human-to-human contact. Mortality rate: 34.45%
3) COVID-19: 106,212 cases, 3,600 deaths (numbers are not up to date).
4) CDC Influenza numbers are preliminary.