72 Have Died In Paramus Veterans Home Outbreak

PARAMUS, NJ — Coronavirus deaths at the Paramus Memorial Veterans Home continue to rise. The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Public Affairs Office confirmed Monday that 72 people have died at the home.

According to the DMAVA, 189 of the 211 residents have tested positive as of Sunday, May 10. 7 test results are still pending and 9 residents are currently hospitalized.

These numbers reflect an uptick from as recently as April 30, when 60 residents and one staff member had died from the coronavirus. There have been no additional reported staff deaths as of Sunday, but there are now 86 confirmed cases, up from 69 at the end of April.

News of the outbreak was met with skepticism and frustration amongst New Jersey politicians, and family members of those living at the home.

"The health crisis taking place at this facility has been devastating, heartbreaking, and utterly unacceptable. The loss of life here is an unspeakable tragedy for the North Jersey community," said Josh Gottheimer in an April statement. "This assistance and guidance from some of the top coronavirus experts and doctors in the country will be critical to fight this outbreak, help limit further loss of life, and protect these veterans and the facility's staff."

In a Sunday New York Times report, a family member said "the whole place is sick now" after his 91-year-old father died.

The official overseeing the homes, Mark Piterski, resigned at the end of April and announced a congressional run for New Jersey's 5th district, where he will challenge Gottheimer.

Frank Pallotta, a republican, is also running for the 5th district seat.

"General Piterski and I agree: our veterans have been treated disgracefully in this pandemic," he said in part in a statement. "I would encourage General Piterski to look at my record, including designing a Time magazine-awarded program that helped keep veterans in their home during the financial crisis, and my broad support across several county organizations in seeking this seat. Together, we can take on Josh Gottheimer's weak and ineffectual leadership in our district."

In April, Patch reported the Paramus home called to inform a family their relative had recovered from the coronavirus. Four hours later, they called back and informed the family that they had mixed up the patients, and their relative, a Korean War veteran, had died.