New Jersey Officials Announce Second Presumptive Coronavirus Case In State
EWING, N.J. (CBS) -- New Jersey officials announced on Thursday there is a second presumptive coronavirus case in the state. This comes after a 32-year-old Fort Lee man who works in New York has been hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center in Bergen County following a presumptive positive case of Covid-19.
He is currently in stable condition.
Officials say he first developed symptoms on March 1 and sought medical care the next day at a Bergen County urgent care, before being sent to the hospital. He was then placed in an airborne isolation room upon his arrival.
"From the time he became symptomatic, the patient had limited, close contact with other residents outside the health care setting," New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.
The second patient, a woman in her 30s, is currently isolating at home in Bergen County.
Officials found out about the second case less than an hour before Thursday afternoon's news conference.
"This case does not come as a surprise. Our state has been prepared for weeks for the eventuality that one of our residents would test positively for coronavirus," Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said.
Oliver urged residents to remain calm.
"The threat to public health in New Jersey remains low," Oliver stated.
Persichilli says they are in the process of identifying health care, household and other close contacts of the patients in the two coronavirus cases.
"These contacts would be assessed as to their level of risk of exposure to the case and other close contacts would be asked to self-quarantine and monitor symptoms for a period of 14 days," Persichilli said.
It's too early to know if the cases are linked.
Health officials say, so far, two out of 13 individuals the state has tested have come back positive, but the future looks threatening.
"As Covid-19 spreads across the United States, we will expect to see more cases in New Jersey," Persichilli said.
That has disinfectant products and hand sanitizer flying off the shelves at places like Marrazzo's Market in Ewing.
"Soon as we put it on the shelf, somebody would grab whatever we could get," store manager Jeff Davis said. "And right now, our suppliers are short of product also, so we're not going to be getting any relatively soon."
The patients' samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
CBS3's Cleve Bryan contributed to this report.
