Officials Issue Update On 2 Bergen County Coronavirus Cases

FORT LEE, NJ – After a 32-year-old Fort Lee man was identified as New Jersey’s first presumptive new coronavirus case, Bergen County officials have issued more information surrounding the situation and a second person who apparently tested positive.

On Friday, Fort Lee sent out an alert for the community with additional details following an investigation into the case.

Bergen County officials also called on people to call health facilities ahead of time so they're not exposed – and they don't expose people to the coronavirus.

Four presumptive positive cases have been diagnosed in New Jersey, three of them in Bergen. Read more: 4th Presumptive Positive Case of Coronavirus In NJ

The state's fourth presumptive positive case of the new coronavirus was identified in New Jersey on Friday evening.
The Murphy administration said the individual, a man in his 50s, is hospitalized at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Bergen County. The individual has been hospitalized since Thursday.

In the Fort Lee case, the borough's health department and state department of health has since determined the man did not have any contact with anyone in Fort Lee while he was in town on Monday. They also said the man, who has homes in New York City and Fort Lee, used a personal vehicle to get between his residences during the timeframe investigated and does not have school-aged children.

He remains hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center, they added.

According to the state, he developed symptoms on March 1, got medical care on March 2 at an urgent care facility before going to the emergency room at Hackensack.

The patient had limited close contact with other New Jersey residents, officials said. Those who did have contact – which may have been mostly in New York City – have been asked to self-quarantine, officials also said.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

On Thursday, state officials announced the second case involving a woman in her 30s at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

Read More: Additional Details Released On Bergen's Second Coronavirus Case

The individual, who has mild symptoms, had her specimen collected at Englewood Hospital and is isolating at home until the New Jersey Department of Health deems her medically cleared.

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On Friday, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco advised residents to call ahead if they are going to the hospital or any health facility because they could be subjected to people who are contagious.

Fort Lee continues to urge the public to take precautions to help "minimize exposure to any respiratory virus, including COVID-19."

• Properly cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve, not your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay home if you are sick and avoid sick people.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Fort Lee's alert also said it was working in conjunction with federal, state and county officials to conduct ongoing monitoring of COVID-19.

Read more: Possible Coronavirus Exposure Closes Private School In Paramus

"In accordance with NJ State Health Department guidance, there are no recommendations to cancel school or social events. Prompt notification to schools, multiple dwellings, places of worship and any other facilities will be provided should further actions need to be taken. All individuals should be reminded that part of good respiratory hygiene is staying home from events when ill," the alert said.

A free, 24/7 hotline is being operated by the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES), also known as the New Jersey Poison Center. The hotline, staffed with trained healthcare professionals, is available at 1-800-222-1222.

Read more: More Detail: First Presumptive Positive Case of Coronavirus In NJ

The New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories (PHEL) in West Trenton has the ability to test individuals for the novel coronavirus. The Department has learned that it will receive another 500 test kits from the CDC Thursday.

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Most New Jersey residents remain at low risk for the coronavirus, the state Department of Health said. And if anyone is having symptoms, the illness is much more likely to be caused by common respiratory viruses such as flu or the common cold, officials said.

Read more: NJ Recommends Self Quarantine For NY Temple Visitors

Read more: NJ Issues New Coronavirus Guidelines For Schools, Colleges

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Residents who have questions about the virus can contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222. The hotline is home of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, and is staffed 24 hours a day by state health workers.

This article contains reporting by the Patch national desk

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.