Infant In Hudson County Treated For Coronavirus

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A 10-day-old infant was treated for coronavirus at a Hudson County hospital over the weekend and released, a local official confirmed on Monday.

"The infant has been discharged and is recovering with the parents at home," said Philip Swibinski, a spokesman for North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco. The family lives in that town.

A story in Hudson County View on Monday quoted anonymous sources as saying that the baby boy had a fever and cough, so the parents brought him to Palisades Medical Center in that town. They brought him on Saturday when he was 10 days old.

"His parents, both of whom have not displayed any symptoms, have been tested for the coronavirus and are awaiting the results," said the story.

Swibinsky said that he has no information on how the baby might have been exposed, but the North Bergen Health Department is investigating.

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Last week, the CDC has released worldwide statistics on the demographics of coronavirus sufferers through March 16. While the numbers show that older people are more likely to be hospitalized, officials have said they are seeing more cases of young people who are seriously ill — and a baby in Illinois died from the virus this past week.

On Monday afternoon, Gov. Phil Murphy said that 198 New Jersey residents have died from the disease, including eight who died at a Wanaque nursing home. More than 16,000 are confirmed to have tested positive.

He has stressed staying at home and social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the illness and avoid overwhelming hospitals.

Residents who have questions about coronavirus can call 211 or contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222.

Experts say that the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, 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. COVID-19, the strain that emerged in China in late 2019, 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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