State officials: Four new coronavirus cases in NJ, one resident dies
New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver announced at a press briefing on Tuesday that four more residents in the state have tested positive for the coronavirus, and one of those residents has died.
Fifteen New Jersey residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. The CDC has not verified the test results yet. The governor declared a state of emergency on Monday, and on Tuesday he waived state health insurance program co-pays related to coronavirus testing.
A 69-year-old Bergen County man with a history of diabetes, hypertension, emphysema, and other health issues became ill about a week ago. He had a fever and cough and visited his primary care doctor, who treated him with antibiotics and Tamiflu. He was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center on March 6. He died after going into cardiac arrest Tuesday morning. The man had not traveled abroad but had a history of traveling back and forth to New York, Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.
The other three new positive cases include another Bergen County resident and two Burlington County residents. Full case histories are not available yet.
Thirty-one people in the state are still under investigation and are being tested for COVID-19. Persichilli said people under investigation include any hospitalized person who has signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and no other known diagnosis for an established diagnosis of pneumonia, symptomatic travelers from affected geographic areas, and symptomatic individuals who have had close contact with a known COVID-19 patient.
“The fact that we are continuing to see additional cases is concerning but as I said yesterday, it is not unexpected. It follows a pattern we are seeing around the country,” Persichilli said.
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