San Jose woman believed to be nation’s first COVID-19 death remembered
On a memorial website, pals remembered Dowd as a graduate of St. Francis High School in Mountain View and a fantastic, caring individual.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A San Jose mother and wife has become the nation’s first COVID-19 death after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finished a postmortem test and determined she had the new coronavirus.
Buddies stated it was a shock to discover that Patricia “Trish” Dowd, 57, had the infection, with the news coming more than two months after she died at her house February sixth.
The revelation stimulated a new age of grieving for those who knew her.
” I was just absolutely surprised. Simply speechless,” said Steve Benner, an Antioch citizen and a previous colleague.
Benner said he worked with Dowd at LAM research study, a provider of wafers for the semiconductor market. Dowd’s LinkedIn page shows she worked there for 27 years. Benner stated she was a terrific buddy and coworker.
” Trish was warm, engaging, friendly. She was a fantastic colleague both at LAM and even after work she was just among those people you liked to be around,” said Benner.
On a memorial site, buddies remembered Dowd as a graduate of St. Francis High School in Mountain View and a fantastic, caring person.
Friends stated they remember her bright smile shown in an image posted on a Facebook page they verify belonged to Dowd.
Family members said Dowd became ill in late January with flu-like symptoms however had seemed to get better. She passed away while working from home. Her child discovered her, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Dowd’s death suggests the new SARS-CoV2 coronavirus was most likely circulating in California in late January, about the same time as what was previously believed to be the very first and only reported U.S. infection in the Seattle area on January 21 st. The brand-new coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China in late December.
The Times reports Dowd worked as a supervisor for Fremont semiconductor company Lam Research. Member of the family informed the paper she didn’t smoke, remained in health and regularly worked out. Dowd had flu-like symptoms in January however seemed to be improving.
Co-workers informed the paper Dowd even worked from home the day she died and had been in touch with them simply hours before her body was discovered.
