BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ — A township resident is among New Jersey's presumed cases of the novel coronavirus, authorities said Monday.

Berkeley Heights provided an update to its website with a statement from Lt. Govenor Sheila Oliver Monday morning. Oliver reported that New Jersey has five new presumed cases of coronavirus. One such case involves a 48-year-old Berkeley Heights resident, who is at Overlook Medical Center in Summit.

The outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China; the virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).

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The onset of the Berkeley Heights resident’s symptoms was March 1, said State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli during the press conference. The individual is inpatient at Overlook Medical Center. Exposure was symptomatic, he had friends who traveled from Milan. Those friends tested negative for COVID-19. The situation remains under investigation.

The state is focused on testing individuals who are symptomatic who have been exposed.

As of Monday morning, 24 people in New Jersey are “under investigation” and in the que to be tested in the state labs, Persichilli said. That does not include any cases pending in commercial labs.

“The fact that we are continuing to see additional cases is concerning, but it’s not unexpected,” she added. “It follows the trend we are seeing in the rest of the country, and the world.”





Oliver stressed that the overall risk to the average New Jersey resident remains low. She said New Jersey will continue to work with neighboring states and partner with the federal government throughout the response to the outbreak.

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Health officials emphasize that the best way residents can protect themselves from coronavirus is by practicing safe respiratory hygiene. People who believe they have come into contact with the disease are asked to self-report and self-quarantine for 14 days.

They should also practice social distancing measures, which includes restricting when and where people can gather to stop or slow the spread of infectious diseases. Social distancing measures include limiting exposure to large groups of people.

The CDC advised the following:

In addition to CDC, many public health laboratories are now testing for the virus that causes COVID-19. View CDC’s Public Health Laboratory Testing map.

With this increase in testing, now 19 states have reported cases of COVID-19 to CDC. View latest case counts, deaths, and a map of states with reported cases.

U.S. COVID-19 cases include: Imported cases in travelers Cases among close contacts of a known case Community-acquired cases where the source of the infection is unknown.



While information so far suggests that most COVID-19 illness is mild, older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions — like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes — seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.

Learn more about the symptoms associated with COVID-19.

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Get the latest summary from the CDC here.

Patients with confirmed nCoV infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. CDC believes at this time that symptoms of nCoV may appear in as few as two days or as long as two weeks after exposure.

When a new disease is circulating, it’s natural for people to ask what they can do to protect themselves and their families. The best guidance at this point is to take the same precautions recommended for avoiding colds and flu: People should stay home when they are sick, cover their cough and practice good hand washing.

For more information regarding this new virus, please visit the New Jersey Department of Health’s website or call the NJDOH Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-222-1222. The call center is open to the public 24/7 and can accommodate callers in multiple languages.

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