New Jersey officials announced the state’s first coronavirus death in the state.
According to officials, the deceased patient, who has not been identified, was a 69-year-old man from Bergen County. The man had been suffering from health complications including emphysema, diabetes, and hypertension.
Judith Persichilli, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health said the man went into cardiac arrest and then revived, but died Tuesday morning after going into cardiac arrest again.
He is not known to have traveled outside the United States but he had been in New York several times.
Governor Phil Murphy posted on Twitter the confirmation of the case. “Lt. Governor Oliver and I are sad to report the first death in a case of COVID-19. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. We remain vigilant to doing all we can, across all levels of government, to protect the people of New Jersey.”
.@LtGovOliver and I are sad to report the first death in a case of #COVID19 in New Jersey. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. We remain vigilant to doing all we can — across all levels of government — to protect the people of New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/NPGH8anMFp
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 10, 2020
As the state faces its first victim of the outbreak, the latest reports list 15 cases of coronavirus in New Jersey
On Monday, Murphy declared a state of emergency and a public health emergency in order to increase the efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
You can read: Seven presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania
“The State of New Jersey is committed to deploying every available resource, across all levels of government, to help respond to the spread of COVID-19 and keep our residents informed,” Murphy said in an emailed statement.
Officials announced they would hold daily briefings to monitor the impact of the virus.
Among the newest patients, there is the case of an 18-year-old woman in Clifton in Passaic County who showed the first symptoms of COVID-19 on March 6. She had close contact with a person who tested positive in New York. She is not hospitalized.
Another new case is a 48-year-old man from Berkeley Heights in Union County. He is hospitalized at Overlook Medical Center. The person became symptomatic after being in close contact with people who had traveled to Italy, however, those people tested negative for the virus.
A separate case is a 27-year-old male from Little Silver in Monmouth County. The patient is not hospitalized. Exposure happened at a conference in Boston late last month.
Another recent case is an 83-year-old man in Hazlet in Monmouth County. Exposure at the time is unknown. The patient is at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel.
Another COVID-19 patient is a 30-year-old in Teaneck, Bergen County. That person is hospitalized at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. Exposure at the time is also unknown.
There are 24 other people under investigation, according to the Health Department.
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