5 new ‘presumptive positive’ coronavirus cases identified in NJ; total at 11

State health officials announced five new “presumptive positive” cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in New Jersey, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 11.

News 12 Staff

Mar 9, 2020, 5:18 PM

Updated 1,675 days ago

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State health officials announced five new “presumptive positive” cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in New Jersey, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 11.
State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli says three of the patients are hospitalized while two are isolated at home. The new cases are an 18-year-old from Clifton, a 48-year-old from Berkeley Heights, a 27-year-old from Little Silver, an 83-year-old from Hazlet and a 30-year-old from Teaneck.
Persichilli says that in the case of the 18-year-old patient, it appears that the person had close contact with someone in New York who was infected.
The patient in Berkeley Heights had contact with people from Milan, Italy, where there are cases of the virus. But Persichilli says that something to note is that the people from Milan did not test positive for coronavirus.
The 27-year-old Little Silver patient is believed to have contracted the illness while at a Biogen conference in Boston. Persichilli says that 170 people overall who attended this conference have tested "presumptive positive" for the virus.
Persichilli says that it was unclear how the 83-year-old and 30-year-old patients were exposed to the virus.
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Health officials said they are ramping up efforts to prevent the disease from spreading. There are currently 14 tests in progress and 24 people under investigation.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.
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