The 1st presumptive positive case of the coronavirus in Hudson County has been diagnosed in West New York, a state official confirmed.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The 32-year-old man is being treated at the Hackensack University Medical Center after the positive diagnosis and is in isolated, stable condition and could return home as early as tomorrow, according to sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
Alexandra Altman, a spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) office, confirmed the case out of West New York, adding that the man was admitted to the hospital on Thursday, March 5th.
This is the sixth positive test for the coronavirus in New Jersey, with four coming from Bergen County and another coming from Camden County.
This afternoon, Murphy tweeted that the state has produced 31 negative tests and 27 people remain under investigation for coronavirus infections.
Early this evening, West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez indicated that the patient from town does not have any children in the public schools and that the health department is conducting a full investigation into the matter.
“Upon learning of the diagnosis I directed our Health Department to immediately undertake a Public Health Action Plan, including a full investigation of the individual’s timeline to assess the risk to public health,” the mayor said in a statement.
” … It’s important to note that the individual does not have any children who are students in the West New York school district, and we have communicated that fact to the board of education.”
He added that residents are urged to continue using “common sense measures” such as frequently washing your hands and avoiding contact with others if you feel ill.
For any further questions, residents are encouraged to call the state’s Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-800-222-1222, the West New York Health Department at 201-295-5070, or visit the town’s website.
As HCV reported yesterday, the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken has suspended upcoming “large discretionary gatherings” on campus as a precautionary measure to avoid the spreading of the coronavirus.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez.
