Four Hoboken Residents Die From Coronavirus On NJ's Deadliest Day

HOBOKEN, NJ — The mayor of Hoboken announced on Wednesday night that four more Hoboken residents had died due to coronavirus. The city has now lost a total of 10 individuals to the virus.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla said that two of the residents were males in their early 60s, one was a man in his 80s, and another was a woman in her 80s.

Bhalla's news came on what Gov. Phil Murphy said was the state's deadliest day so far amid the pandemic, with 275 New Jerseyans passing away in 24 hours. The number of reported cases statewide has risen to 47,437, and 1,504 people have died.

Across the river from Hoboken, in New York City, more than 4,500 people had died as of Wednesday.

And nearby, in North Bergen, a spokesman for Mayor Nicholas Sacco said Wednesday evening that 39 residents of that city have died as a result of the virus. That town has approximately 63,000 people to Hoboken's 53,000, but also has an older population: Thirty of those who passed away, the town said, had been residents of the town's three long-term care facilities: Hudson View, Hudson Hills and the Harborage.

“Our Health Department is working with these facilities to put as many safeguards in place as possible, such as isolating residents and not allowing visitors to enter," Sacco said. "I ask all of North Bergen to join me in mourning these men and women and praying for them and their families."

Mayor Bhalla said, of the four Hoboken residents whose passing he reported Wednesday, "Those individuals aren't simply stats or numbers to report each day. They were valued members of our community."

He added, "Several of the seniors lived their entire lives in Hoboken and loved our mile square."

Of those who have passed away in Hoboken in the last week, one was the mother of two Hoboken police detectives.

Bhalla noted that all of those who succumbed in Hoboken so far had a pre-existing condition, which could range from asthma to diabetes to having survived cancer. "We must all commit ourselves to preventing the loss of additional lives, especially our most vulnerable populations," he said.

Also on Wednesday, Bhalla announced that besides the uptown coronavirus testing center run by Riverside Medical Group, Prompt MD on First Street now has coronavirus testing. Click here for more information.

To read more of the mayor's message, click here.

As of Tuesday evening, more than 88,000 people have died from the virus worldwide, 14,695 of those in the U.S.

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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 first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Here are statewide informational resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

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