What to Know
- A patient at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, New Jersey is being treated for a “suspected case” of the novel coronavirus, Hackensack Meridian Health’s chief physician executive said
- A blood or respiratory sample from the patient will be tested by the CDC, according to the spokeswoman
- The patient is being kept in isolation with all safety protocols in effect, she noted
A patient at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, New Jersey is being tested for a “suspected case” of the novel coronavirus, officials said.
The hospital is treating the patient as if he or she has COVID-19, a hospital spokeswoman told NBC 4 New York on Saturday.
Monmouth County’s Department of Public Information and Tourism said New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories “is currently testing for coronavirus on this individual in accordance with CDC guidelines.”
“The New Jersey Department of Health expects test results within 24 hours,” the department said in a statement.
“At this time, it is important to note that there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Monmouth County or New Jersey,” the department added. “If someone is sick, they want to consider the likelihood that they have seasonal influenza as we are still in high flu activity in the state.”
The patient is being kept in isolation with all safety protocols in effect, the hospital spokeswoman noted.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s Chief Physician Executive Daniel W. Varga on Saturday said the hospital’s Infection Prevention team is working with New Jersey’s Department of Health to care for the patient, “in accordance with protocols provided by [the CDC],” adding that the patient has a “suspected case” of COVID-19.
“Please rest assured that our health care team is taking every precaution in caring for this isolated patient and determining an accurate diagnosis,” Varga said in the statement.
“We continue to screen patients with appropriate symptoms for travel history to China, Italy, Iran, Japan and South Korea,” he added.
A New York City resident who recently came back from a trip to Italy is currently being tested for COVID-19, according to officials.
After a sample was sent to Atlanta for testing on Thursday, it could be until well into the weekend before the city learns if it has its first confirmed case of the virus that the CDC says has killed more than 2,800 people worldwide.
The New Jersey Public Health Department said Friday that a lab in West Trenton had been approved to test for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also said that a state lab will be able to conduct testing shortly.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday said New York State would begin testing for the novel coronavirus as well.
In a teleconference, the CDC said the goal is to have testing available in all 50 states by the end of next week. When presses about which states and places have the capacity, the CDC would not give specifics citing the evolving situation.
So far in the tri-state, there have been no confirmed cases of the illness that has now been found on every continent except Antarctica.
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