Leaders Have Concerns After Burlington County Coronavirus Cases

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Senior community leaders in the Third Congressional District voiced their concerns with Rep. Andy Kim during a conference call on Wednesday, one day after the first two presumptive positive cases in Burlington County were reported.

One senior leader said there was an 8-12 week back order for gloves and masks, Kim said in a statement following the call. Other concerns shared on the call were:

• The need for more testing capacity and faster test results.
• Potential disruption of programs that directly help food insecure seniors, such as Meals on Wheels.
• Home health care patients who are hesitant to receive care.
• Being sensitive to visitor needs, while also protecting the health and safety of patients and healthcare staff.

“I want to thank our frontline health care and senior leaders for taking time to provide an update on their efforts in New Jersey, and their thoughts on how we can best work together to keep people safe and save lives,” said Kim, who represents Burlington and Ocean counties. “The concerns I heard from our local leaders need to be addressed, and they deserve solutions now. I’ll be working with my colleagues in the House and with state and local officials to ensure our health care and senior care professionals have the resources and guidance they need to contain and end this crisis.”

On Tuesday, it was reported that a Burlington County couple who had recently traveled to Italy had tested presumptive positive for new coronavirus. The husband is 62 and the wife is 60. They are quarantined at home, and are being checked twice daily by the Burlington County Health Department. Read more here: Burlington County Couple Presumptive Positive For Coronavirus

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

As of Wednesday, Virtua Health Systems were restricted visitors who have traveled outside the United States in the last 14 days or have a fever or illness. A spokeswoman said the policies may be updated on Thursday.

Virtua, Cooper and Jefferson health systems are all asking patients who believe they may have coronavirus to call before coming in so health providers are prepared.

The New Jersey Department of Health has partnered with the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System to open and operate a call center (1-800-222-1222) for public use regarding questions, concerns, and other information related to coronavirus spread in New Jersey. More information is also available on the state's coronavirus webpage.

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