Lawrence Garbuz was linked to the spread of coronavirus in New Rochelle, New York

New Rochelle Coronavirus 'Patient Zero' Is Home from Hospital and Recovering, Gov. Cuomo Says

Lawrence Garbuz, the 50-year-old lawyer who was dubbed the coronavirus “patient zero” in New Rochelle, New York, has been released from the hospital.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shared the news during a briefing on the coronavirus outbreak Sunday.

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“By the way, the patient zero … in Westchester, New Rochelle, who was very sick, he’s actually gone home,” Cuomo, 62, said. “He’s out of the hospital.”

Garbuz tested positive for COVID-19 on March 2, according to The New York Times. After over two weeks on a ventilator in a medically induced coma, Garbuz regained consciousness at a New York City hospital and was able to breathe on his own again.

After Garbuz’s diagnosis, Gov. Cuomo declared a “containment zone” a mile around Garbuz’s synagogue, Temple Young Israel, in order to help contain the spread.

However, the number of cases in the city spread, with many of the people having been in contact with Garbuz. His entire family also tested positive as well.

On March 18, Garbuz’s wife, Adina, shared on her Facebook page that he had finally woken up.

“Lawrence is awake and alert and seems to be on the road to full recovery,” Adina said. “He still has healing to do but is on a very good trajectory. I would have waited longer to share but since so many of you have been on this journey with me, my family and my community asking and waiting to hear, I felt I could not hold off any longer.”

“For us, a most torturous part was knowing he was waking up confused and disoriented and with no loved one by his side,” Adina added, saying that the situation was “heartbreaking.”

“But he has been brave and we were lucky that we could Facetime with him, which made an awful thing somewhat easier,” she said. “As saddened as I was, there was no one to blame but coronavirus.”

New York currently has at least 59,568 confirmed cases COVID-19 as of Monday morning, the most of any state in the country, while at least 965 people in the state have died from the virus.