A New Jersey family is coming to terms with tragedy after four members died due to contracting Coronavirus, reportedly during a family meal.
In total, seven members of the Fusco family have contracted the disease, with 73-year-old Grace Fusco, 55-year-old Rita Fusco-Jackson and her brother Carmine amongst the fatalities. A fourth member of the family passed away on Thursday. According to a report in NJ.com, four other family members remain in hospital, with three in a critical condition.
In an interview with the website, 42-year-old Elizabeth Fusco revealed how devastated the whole family had been by the news. As she put it:
“This has been devastating for all of us. Our hearts are broken over losing our sister, Rita. We just need help in saving our family members with life-saving medication.”
Elizabeth’s shock was reiterated by the family’s attorney and cousin Roseann Paradiso Fodera, who added:
“To imagine a week ago to get a phone call like this - if someone told me this story, I wouldn’t believe it. It’s inconceivable to me.”
In order to monitor and effectively contain the situation, local Freehold health officials have been coordinating directly with the state. As Margaret Jahn, a local health officer, explained:
“There is definitely a cluster of cases at the hospital. We’ve conducted several interviews with regard to people who were exposed to close contacts, and we’ve followed up with those - so we are not seeing a community spread per se.”
Jahn went on to state that a lack of testing was a primary reason behind the tragedy, adding:
“The CDC has been contacted about it, and the CDC is interested in what is going on, and they may be willing to investigate and look into it more. This is devastating for a family, and with a lack of information, it has been frustrating.”
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 740 people had tested positive for coronavirus, resulting in nine deaths in the state of New Jersey, though Governor Phil Murphy has gone on record to state that the number may rise to ''many thousands'' if something doesn’t change, as per Metro.