UPDATE: A second "presumptive positive" coronavirus case has been identified in North Jersey

Health officials interviewed the 32-year-old Fort Lee man who is New Jersey's first resident to be diagnosed with coronavirus Thursday morning as they tried to identify other people he had been in contact with and prevent the spread of the disease. Hospital official said he was in isolation and "doing well."

The man joined a growing list of patients — 159 at last count — nationwide to contract the virus that has killed over 3,200 worldwide.

Meanwhile, test results for another person who was under investigation for coronavirus infection at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck came back negative on Thursday, a Holy Name spokeswoman said.

The Fort Lee patient, who arrived at the emergency department at Hackensack University Medical Center on Tuesday, exhibited symptoms that caused clinicians to suspect he had COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus infection, said Dr. Daniel M. Varga, the chief physician executive for Hackensack Meridian Health, which operates Hackensack Medical Center.

Hospital spokeswoman Nancy Radwin said the patient's condition was unchanged Thursday morning. Varga described him late Wednesday night as "doing well and resting comfortably in an isolation room."

Three certified health officials from Fort Lee were at the hospital on Thursday morning to interview the patient, Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich said. They were to ask about the patient's contacts in order to conduct the public-health investigation. The borough has assembled a task force of 20 officials to respond and coordinate their efforts as fast as possible once they receive information, he said.

Story continues below gallery

Sources said the man did not live in a high-rise apartment building. He lives on the first floor of a multi-family home.

"Our priority now is to ensure it doesn’t spread,” Sokolich said. “We are in the process of gathering the information and once it comes back to us we will respond.”

As testing for the virus becomes more widespread, it is likely the number of cases will continue to grow, helping to bring into focus the spread of the disease. Globally, there have been more than 95,000 cases — mostly in China where the disease is believed to have originated.

New York saw a cluster of cases in recent days, including 18 in Westchester County and 1,000 people quarantined. At least 50 cases have been reported in California, with Los Angeles reporting six on Wednesday.

QUARANTINES:NJ residents asked to self-quarantine if they attended NY temple

BERGEN COUNTY CORONAVIRUS:What we know and don't know about NJ's first case

In New Jersey, the diagnosis by the state Health Department laboratory is considered "presumptive positive" until it is confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the governor's office said in announcing the case Wednesday night.

But until the confirmation comes from the CDC, the precautions used to treat the patient are the same — an isolation room, with caregivers in protective gear — as if the diagnosis is already confirmed.

The source of the man's infection — whether he had traveled to a country where the disease is spreading, had close contact with a person already diagnosed, or developed it through community spread — was not disclosed on Wednesday night.

The staff followed protocols to "identify, isolate and evaluate" the patient, Varga said.

"Our focus until now has been the well-being of the patient," he said. "Now, with the confirmed diagnosis, it becomes a public health issue."

No medication has been approved to treat the disease, known as COVID-19, and supportive care is provided. The patient's exact condition was not released.

The elderly and people with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or respiratory conditions are most at risk from the illness, based on evidence from China and South Korea, said Debra Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, Wednesday. South Korea saw no fatalities among patients younger than 30, she said.

Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who initially identified the man as a borough resident, said Wednesday night that he had been in contact with county and state authorities and that Bergen County Executive James Tedesco had reached out earlier in the day.

Sokolich said that the critical next step is for an investigation to determine where the man has been, including where he lives and works, as well as places he’s gone and people he has come in contact with. He hopes to get permission to start as early as Thursday.

“Fort Lee will do its part to make sure everyone knows precisely what’s going on,” Sokolich said. “There’s no need here for panic."

“We need everyone to be patient so we can confirm any information that will go out to the public,” he said.

He also said a meeting with all emergency services and the health department will take place Thursday morning to coordinate efforts and begin the investigation.

“The entire Fort Lee community is praying for this gentleman’s well being and we just want him to know there’s a whole community pulling for him and we wish for the speediest of recoveries,” the mayor said.

Latest on coronavirus in NJ

Gov. Phil Murphy, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli urged residents to remain calm. Officials are taking the situation “very seriously and have been preparing for this for weeks,” the joint statement said. Oliver is acting governor while Murphy recovers from an operation Wednesday to remove a tumor on his kidney.

"Working with the local health department, the [state] Department of Health is tracing close contacts of this individual and is taking appropriate public health actions," the statement said. "The investigation is underway and more information will be released when it becomes available."

The standard procedure for health officials is to trace people whom the patient has been in contact with over the last two weeks to see if they show symptoms, which usually include a fever and a cough or other respiratory symptoms. Once those the patient has been in contact with have been identified, they would be asked to self-quarantine and could be tested, if warranted.

As of Tuesday, 127 New Jersey residents were in “self-quarantine” because of recent travel to countries where the disease is spreading in the community. They do not have symptoms and are considered to be at low risk, the health department said.

"Any case of novel coronavirus in our state is concerning, however most New Jersey residents are at very low risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Persichilli. Risk is based on exposure.

The state's Public Health Environmental Laboratories has been able to perform tests for coronavirus infection since Friday, and its capacity to test will be boosted on Thursday with the shipment of 500 additional test kits from the CDC. All state results are submitted to the CDC for confirmation.

New York State has reported 11 cases of coronavirus in the last few days, nine of them related to a 50-year-old man from New Rochelle who is hospitalized in serious condition. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo estimated that 1,000 people are under self-quarantine because of exposure to the man in Westchester County and elsewhere.

Katie Sobko 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: sobko@northjersey.com Twitter: @katesobko