Burlington County Reports 44 'Probable' Coronavirus Deaths

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County is reporting 44 probable deaths as a result of the coronavirus. Officials included that number with the report of cases and deaths reported throughout the county this week.

As of Friday night, there were 5,395 cases of the coronavirus reported in the county, with 405 confirmed deaths. There were another 44 cases listed as probable deaths, but that number wasn’t broken down by town.

Last week, it was reported that New Jersey is now reporting probable deaths as part of its regular updates amid the coronavirus crisis. Murphy said his administration has been examining death certificates to identify residents, with "great reliability," whose passing probably happened because of the coronavirus. Read more here: NJ Now Reporting 'Probable' Coronavirus Death Toll

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Burlington County is actively engaged in contact tracing positive coronavirus cases. The focus is on close contacts, defined as closer than 6 feet for more than 10 minutes, household contacts and those that work in high risk settings such as healthcare workers and long term care facilities.

If community exposure has occurred, where a coronavirus positive person was in close contact with people for an extended period of time, while symptomatic, county officials will notify the public. Since residents are abiding by the social distancing requirements, officials said they have not run into that issue since early in the pandemic.

Reminder: Mass exposure, due to social distancing guidelines, and the cooperation of the public has been minimized. Residents are reminded to remain 6 feet apart while obtaining essential items or services, and stay home unless absolutely necessary.

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know