Manchester Man 1st Ocean County Coronavirus Case: Officials

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township man is the first Ocean County resident to have a presumptive positive test for new coronavirus in New Jersey, state and county officials said Friday.

The man, who is 72, is hospitalized at Ocean Medical Center in Brick and has been there since March 9, said Daniel Regenye, public health coordinator for the Ocean County Health Department. The man is stable and recovering, he said.

The man is among 21 new cases in the state, bringing the total to 50 cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichelli said Friday afternoon. There has been one death in New Jersey from the virus, a man from Bergen County, Persichelli has said.

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A Manchester Township police officer and EMTs are in self-quarantine because they responded to the man's home for the first aid call that let to him being hospitalized, Manchester Mayor Kenneth Palmer and Police Chief Lisa Parker said late Friday. None are showing symptoms as of Friday.

"The Ocean County Health Department has been preparing for this event since day one," Regenye said. "We are moving forward with the appropriate plans, and we are working directly with the New Jersey Department of Health and local medical providers to ensure this individual receives the proper treatment and that anyone who has come into contact with him is following the appropriate protocols, mitigating any further spread."

Regenye said the Ocean County Health Department is waiting for confirmation from testing being done by the CDC. In the meantime, the man is being treated as if confirmed and is being isolated until cleared by public health officials. A Berkeley Township woman tested negative for the virus during the first week of March.

The department is working closely with the patient, their close contacts and health care providers to monitor persons who may have been exposed to the coronavirus and implement testing of anyone who may develop COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

Further information will be provided by the health department as it becomes available, he said.

COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when an individual coughs or sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people may contract COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days following exposure. Most people recover from the COVID-19 without needing special treatment. The elderly and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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