An outbreak of coronavirus disease at the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus has killed at least 10 residents and likely contributed to the deaths of some 27 more over the past two weeks. Six residents have been hospitalized, 70 are ill and dozens of staff members have been diagnosed or are awaiting test results, according to official and inside sources.

To cope with the crisis, a team of 36 medics from the Army National Guard is to be deployed to the facility this week for assistance with nursing duties, said a spokesman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Bergen County veterans’ home, with 336 beds, is one of three such facilities operated by the state.

More than half of the nursing homes in New Jersey have reported that their residents have coronavirus disease. An emergency plan to separate sick residents at certain designated homes in order to protect others from exposure was announced Tuesday by the state health commissioner.

Residents of long-term care facilities account for 10% of the state’s 1,504 deaths so far, a number that likely underestimates the impact because so few have been tested.

“Families of our residents at the homes should know we’re doing everything we possibly can to keep the residents safe,” said Kryn Westhoven, a spokesman for the state Department of Military Affairs, which runs the home.

The home ceased admission of new residents on March 23 to keep rooms free for isolation of residents who tested positive, he said. The current population is 285 residents.

The Paramus veterans’ home has been hit harder by the pandemic than the others, Westhoven said. The state veterans' home in Menlo Park has had 15 residents test positive, with two deaths. The Vineland home has reported no cases.

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Sources within the Paramus facility said the number of residents dying began to increase precipitously on April 1. About three residents die each week when there is no pandemic, but 30 have died since April 1, including three on Wednesday, one source said.

Ten of the residents who died tested positive for the virus, Westhoven said. But he did not know how many others had been tested.

“Our population is old. Many have respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” he said. “There could be many reasons they died.”

Of the home’s 394 staff members, 17 have tested positive and 20 are awaiting test results, documents show.

“Everyone has been exposed to this virus,” said a worker, who said she feared for her job if she identified herself. No in-service training was held in preparation for the pandemic, and workers initially were told not to wear masks, gowns or gloves because it would scare the residents. Some brought their own protective gear, she said.

“I see people crying,” she said of the staff. “We go to the side and we cry with each other. Who do we have to talk to? We are afraid we’re going to die with the residents.”

The chief executive officer of the facility, Matthew Schottlander, did not respond to calls or a text seeking comment.

Paramus Mayor Rich LaBarbiera said he did not have specific figures about the number of fatalities at the veterans’ home.

Paramus has several long-term care facilities, and LaBarbiera said he believed they accounted for at least half of the reported cases and three-quarters of the reported deaths from the coronavirus. The borough health officer, Judith Migliaccio, could not be reached.

Lindy Washburn is a senior health care reporter for NorthJersey.com. To keep up-to-date about how changes in the medical world affect the health of you and your family, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: washburn@northjersey.com Twitter: @lindywa