Cranford Coronavirus Cases Up To 11

CRANFORD, NJ — While it will soon be hard for some towns to announce every new coronavirus case that's been confirmed — and cases are expected to spike when more tests are available — the town of Cranford said late on Sunday that the number of reported cases in town had reached 11.

And in a message to parents and community members a day earlier, Schools Superintendent Scott Rubin had noted in a letter, "At this point, I am sure you are all watching the number of positive COVID-19 cases continue to climb statewide and nationally ... Given that the virus is now so widespread that almost any of us could have been exposed to it, I have been advised by the Township Health Department not to continue issuing updates on each new case, unless there is an unusual occurrence. To monitor the cases in our community, please visit the Township website (click the "News" section on your phone)."

On Wednesday, Rubin had sent out a letter that a Cranford teacher had tested positive for the virus. The teacher lived in Monmouth County and hadn't been in the schools since March 6.

The city also had previously sent out a notice about its first confirmed case on Tuesday:

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Township of Cranford Mayor Patrick Giblin, the Health Department and Office of Emergency Management today received notice from the State Department of Health CDRSS System that there is a confirmed positive test for an adult residing in Cranford.
The individuals that were in contact with the positive patient have been identified and the individual is self-isolating.
The positive patient was in contact a total of 11 individuals, 5 of whom are Cranford residents. All Cranford residents that were on the contact list have been called and followed up with and informed to self-quarantine. The Health Departments where the other individuals live have been notified for their follow-up.
As you are aware based upon the CDC and the National Institute of Health’s statements, transmission within our communities was expected and therefore it is unfortunate that we have our first case within Cranford. We should expect that there will be some additional cases over the next several days and weeks.

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When such cases are reported, the Health Department notifies close contacts of the person and tracks where they have been.

New Jersey has reported 1,914 cases and 20 deaths as of Sunday. Many people still await testing or results.

New testing centers are opening almost daily, including a new drive-through coronavirus testing facility in Union County.

Experts say that the novel coronavirus, because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

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