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Patient at Washington's Western State psychiatric hospital has coronavirus

The patient is one of more than 1,100 people who have tested positive for the disease in Washington state, which leads the country in fatalities.

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — A patient as Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital has tested positive for coronavirus. 

Workers at Western State Hospital fear that number will increase due to a lack of protective gear. 

They also say new policies force them to crowd together as they try to get into the building, making social distancing impossible.

The patient is one of more than 1,100 people who have tested positive for the disease in Washington state, which leads the country in fatalities.

Sean Murphy, Behavioral Health Assistant Secretary, says they've taken steps to protect the hospital's 2,500 staff members and 770 patients against a spread of the highly contagious disease. 

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