March 08, 2020
Two more New Jersey residents are presumed to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said during a press briefing on Sunday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases up to six in the state.
One of the individuals is a man in his 30s from West New York in Hudson County who is currently hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center in Bergen County, while the other individual is a man in his 70s living in Teaneck and currently hospitalized at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson in Passaic County.
While the status of the first individual is not clear, the second individual is in stable condition, state officials said.
UPDATE: We now have two more presumptive positive cases of #COVID19. One individual, a male in his 30s, is hospitalized at @HackensackUMC. The other individual, a male in his 70s, is hospitalized at @sjh_nj in Paterson.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 8, 2020
The state has completed 37 coronavirus tests so far, with 31 of those coming back negative for COVID-19. Currently, 27 more individuals in New Jersey are under investigation for the virus.
Current #COVID19 statewide stats:
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 8, 2020
• Presumptive Positive Tests: 6
• Negative Tests: 31
• Tests in Process: 0
• Persons Under Investigation: 27
• Tests Completed: 37
For regular updates: https://t.co/UyohzX5yGk
Cases are determined as presumptive positive until the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirms the results. Oliver reiterated during the briefing that the risk remains low for state residents.
Five of the six cases of the coronavirus in the state have been discovered in North Jersey, with only one thus far in South Jersey. The one South Jersey case was confirmed on Friday by Camden County health officials to be a man in his 60s living in Cherry Hill. The patient is receiving treatment from Jefferson Health in Cherry Hill.
The United States has over 460 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Sunday afternoon, according to the New York Times. There have been 19 deaths in the U.S. due to COVID-19 thus far.
There are four confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, one of which is in Delaware County and two of which are in Montgomery County. The fourth case is in Wayne County.
Meanwhile, there are more than 109,000 coronavirus cases around the world as of Sunday afternoon and over 3,700 people have died from the illness. COVID-19 has been detected in at least 95 countries, with the vast majority of cases and deaths occurring in mainland China. Some of the other countries where the virus has spread include Italy, South Korea, Iran, and Japan.
Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Most cases are mild, but a serious illness occurs in about 16% of cases, according to initial data from China. The incubation period is believed to be 2-14 days.
Older people and those with underlying health conditions, including heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, appear to be at greater risk for developing a serious illness, according to the CDC.
There is no known treatment for COVID-19 and a vaccine is expected to take at least a year to develop.
Health experts stress that the best way to prevent illness is to practice good hand hygiene, avoid close contact with sick individuals and frequently disinfect common surfaces and objects.
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