Published on Apr 23, 2020
A 57-year-old California woman who was seemingly healthy when she died of a sudden heart attack in early February is now believed to be the first American to have died of the coronavirus. Patricia Dowd’s daughter found her dead on Feb. 6 at their home. Dowd’s death came as a shock to her family, who said she “exercised routinely, watched her diet and took no medication.” Now, she is among three new COVID-19 cases confirmed by Santa Clara County officials posthumously through tissue samples.
