BERGEN COUNTY, N.J: The governor of New Jersey has announced the state’s first death from the new coronavirus.
“We are sad to report the first death in a case of COVID-19 in New Jersey,” said Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement Tuesday. “Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. We remain vigilant to doing all we can — across all levels of government — to protect the people of New Jersey.”
The deceased is a man in his 60s from Bergen County who had a history of traveling between New Jersey and New York. He was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center on March 6. He eventually suffered two cardiac arrests.
Including the deceased, New Jersey now has 16 cases of the novel coronavirus. Officials said 31 people are “under investigation.”
This death brings the U.S. death toll from the virus to 28. According to Johns Hopkins University, 23 others have died in Washington state, two have died in California and two have died in Florida.
Johns Hopkins says more than 700 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus.
Worldwide, over 116,000 cases have been reported with around 4,000 deaths. A majority of the cases are out of mainland China, where the virus is believed to have originated.
