Five New Milford residents who tested positive for the coronavirus have died

NEW MILFORD — Five borough residents who had tested positive for the coronavirus have died, Mayor Michael Putrino said.

"It is with a heavy heart I report that 5 of our confirmed positive cases have become fatal. I consider any fatalities to be completely unbearable. The thoughts and prayers of our community are with their families," Putrino said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

New Milford had reported 70 positive cases of coronavirus as of Monday, up from 56 on Saturday.

Putrino said the deaths occurred between March 15 and 28, but did not offer their names, where they died or their ages or sexes.

Health officials from the borough and the county did not respond to requests for more information.

See the list: NJ coronavirus cases listed by town for Bergen and Passaic counties

Coronavirus: Complete coverage on New Jersey cases and the state's response

The New Jersey Department of Health late last week reported a death related to the coronavirus at the Care One New Milford assisted-living facility on River Road. It also noted there were 23 ill residents and five ill staffers, but only two confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Care One officials did not respond to a request for comment.

As of Monday, the number of positive COVID-19 cases statewide had climbed to to 16,636, including 198 deaths. Bergen County has the highest number of positive cases, with 2,482.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com Twitter: @ricardokaul