Officials in New Jersey have confirmed a second presumptive positive case of coronavirus in the state, Your Content has learned.
This is a developing breaking news story…
The first case of coronavirus in New Jersey was confirmed Wednesday night, two sources briefed on the situation revealed to Your Content.
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Moments after the news surfaced, Gov. Phil Murphy & Acting Governor Sheila Oliver said that the man was being treated in Bergen County but claimed he is assumed to be ‘presumptive positive.’
“The hospitals send the tests out to a state center and when it comes back as positive, those individuals then send it to the Center for Disease Control,” a source briefed on the situation explained to Your Content. “Legally, we can’t ‘confirm’ the case of coronavirus even though we confirm it. The word must come from the CDC.”
The two verified sources — both of whom spoke only under the condition of anonymity — confirm at least sixteen others are being tested for any potential exposure.
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“The coronavirus is here in New Jersey and very active,” the source continued. “This isn’t a game — there are lives at risk. The public should know what is truly happening with the handling of this outbreak.”
But the state vehemently denies that the test is ‘officially positive’ until the ‘CDC conducts their final test and provides the result to the hospital.’
“We will be able to say whether that patient’s specimen contains Coronavirus or not,” Dr. Jafar Razeq, state lab director said Friday.
However, the revelation stems from a sample that was tested by the NJ Department of Health at the New Jersey Public Environmental Laboratories. Though the state test indicates it came back positive for coronavirus, they must await permission from the CDC to officially declare it.
What’s more, NBC reports the man, described to be in his 30s, was in contact with at least one of the coronavirus cases in New York.
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The recent widespread outbreak of the respiratory disease stemmed from a novel coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in 60 locations internationally, including in the United States.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.
During the week of February 23, CDC reported community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 in California (in two places), Oregon and Washington. Community spread in Washington resulted in the first death in the United States from COVID-19, as well as the first reported case of COVID-19 in a health care worker, and the first potential outbreak in a long-term care facility.
The CDC affirms that there are ongoing investigations to learn more. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.
How will the coronavirus impact my community?
More cases of the coronavirus are likely to be identified in the coming days, according to the CDC. That includes a rapid increase in cases in the United States. It’s also likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur, including in communities in the United States. It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of the coronavirus in the United States will occur.
Widespread transmission of the coronavirus would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time. Schools, childcare centers, workplaces, and other places for mass gatherings may experience more absenteeism. Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation industry may also be affected. Health care providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against the coronavirus and no medications approved to treat it. Nonpharmaceutical interventions would be the most important response strategy.
This is a developing breaking news story. It will be updated momentarily. Stay with Your Content for the latest developments.
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