A protective gurney was used in January 2020 to transport the Snohomish County man, 35, the first coronavirus case in the United States, to an isolated room at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Providence Regional Medical Center)

A protective gurney was used in January 2020 to transport the Snohomish County man, 35, the first coronavirus case in the United States, to an isolated room at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Providence Regional Medical Center)

It began with ‘Patient Zero’ one long year ago

Since then, everything changed. Here are five stories from the frontline of the COVID crisis.

On Jan. 21, 2020, it was announced to the world that the United States had its first case of a new mysterious virus.

The night before, after a battery of lab tests, a 35-year-old Snohomish County resident was placed in deep isolation in an Everett hospital. He’d fallen ill four days after returning from Wuhan, China.

He became known as “Patient Zero” after a fateful test came back positive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

At the time, images of people sick and dying in China and a few other countries seemed so distant. There were less than a thousand cases of the mystery illness reported, hardly a pandemic.

Little did we know just how much the coronavirus would change our lives and take so many. Over 2 million people have died worldwide, the majority due to community spread.

The year of fear and danger continues to cast its stubborn pall.

As of Friday, 445 people have died from COVID-19 in the county, where 100 currently are hospitalized with the virus.

The nation’s first COVID patient was rolled in on a protective gurney at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. It was the first time a special room set up during the Ebola crisis of 2014 to 2016 was used in a real-life scenario. A robot with a stethoscope and microphone allowed him to speak remotely with the doctor.

The man was discharged two weeks later, then quarantined at home for two more weeks.

“Patient Zero” remains largely anonymous beyond the medical community that treated him.

“We checked with him a few months ago and he was doing well,” said Heather Thomas, a Snohomish Health District spokeswoman. “He still prefers not to be identified.”

By Feb. 21, the virus was confirmed in few dozen people scattered across the country.

By mid-March, the world as we knew it stopped.

Schools, salons, restaurants and fitness centers closed. Parents became teachers. Grocery store clerks became front-line workers.

It has been a dire balancing act of trying to make a living and to protect loved ones. Touchless and six-feet apart was the mandate. No hugging grandkids allowed.

People died, particularly the elderly.

“Here we go,” Sunrise View Convalescent Center and Retirement Villa administrator Diane Lopes remembers thinking on March 14 when two residents tested positive. “Here we go.”

Statewide, of the nearly 4,000 fatalities, 91% have been those 60 and older.

Deaths and hospitalizations have come in waves. At times the curve would flatten, only to surge anew. A single-day record 4,254 Americans died on Tuesday alone. The U.S. death toll stands at more than 400,000.

Today, as the one-year mark of “Patient Zero” approaches, the Herald profiles the Sunrise administrator and four others at the forefront of giving or receiving treatment and care.

Providence Intensive Care Unit nurse Sara Gering has been there for the final moments of many COVID-19 patients, and a Marysville area woman who spent 25 days on a ventilator in March and April came close to being one of them.

“They are my heroes,” Peggy Jahn, 62, said of the medical workers. “I am here because of them.”

Providence emergency department medical director Dr. Ryan Keay describes the chaotic year and the steep learning curve on how best to treat patients.

“COVID doesn’t play by the same rules as any other diseases we have dealt with,” hospital respiratory therapist Darryl Keffer said.

Even with vaccinations underway, there is no letup in sight.

The virus has infected some 26,000 people in Snohomish County and 23.5 million in the U.S. since last January.

And at Providence, the census of COVID patients last week hovered between 65 and 70 with another 20 patients awaiting lab results.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

South County Fire plans push-in ceremony for newest fire engine

Anybody who attends will have the opportunity to help push the engine into the station.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

Stolen fire engine smashes signs, trees and 14 parked vehicles in North Everett

There were no injuries, but the suspect, who abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, is still at large.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Skylar Maldonado, 2, runs through the water at Pacific Rim Plaza’s Splash Fountain, one of the newer features add to the Port of Everett waterfront on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
CEO: Port of Everett pushes forward, despite loomimg challenges from tariffs

CEO Lisa Lefeber made the remarks during the annual port report Wednesday.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Stock photo
Foundation raised over $55,000 to pay for student school supplies in Stanwood-Camano.
Stanwood area foundation raises more than $55,000 for school supplies

A month-long campaign exceeded its goal to help support elementary students in the Stanwood-Camano School District.

District 1 candidates talk financial priorities, student needs

Three newcomers — Carson Sanderson, Arun Sharma and Brian Travis — are eyeing the vacant seat on the district’s board of directors.

Top, from left: Bill Wheeler, Erica Weir and Mason Rutledge. Bottom, from left: Sam Hem, Steven Sullivan.
Candidates seek open District 1 seat in crowded race

Five people are aiming to take the open seat left after current council member Mary Fosse announced she would not run for reelection.

Pia Sampaga-Khim, right, and Jana Rafi, left, demonstrate how a patient check in might go in the Snohomish County Health Department’s new Health on Wheels Van on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New federal DEI restrictions on County Health Department funding spurs hiring halt

12 positions were paused for fear of unsustainable funding.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.