The Grays Harbor County resident infected with bird flu this month has tested positive for a type of the virus never before detected in humans, state health officials confirmed Friday.

The state Department of Health said Thursday the resident was considered to be “preliminarily positive” for influenza A H5, but has since confirmed the infection as the first human case of bird flu in the state this year — and the first in the country in at least eight months. Additional testing with the University of Washington virology lab revealed the virus is H5N5, a type of bird flu that’s previously been reported in animals but not in humans, State Health Officer Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett said in a Friday news conference.

The risk to the public remains low, Kwan-Gett said.

“This is an important scient

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