New York and New Jersey are among the hardest hit states when it comes to the Coronavirus. Yesterday, we shared the latest stats of Coronavirus cases around the world as well as within the United States, with cases surpassing 2 million globally, and over half a million cases in New York alone.
The overflow of COVID-19 cases is being felt in New Jersey too, with news arriving this afternoon about an anonymous tip leading to 17 corpses. The New York Times reports how police responded to the call of one dead body being stored in a shed, outside one of NJ's largest nursing homes, Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I and II. When the police arrived on the scene to investigate, the body in the shed was no longer there, but they found a situation that was more much more dire in the process.
Medical workers put on protective equipment and prepare to transport bodies found at Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images
17 bodies had been stored in a makeshift morgue attached to the nursing home, that was designed to hold just four bodies. The police chief in Andover, Eric C. Danielson said, "They were just overwhelmed by the amount of people who were expiring."
Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I and II has reportedly been linked to 68 deaths, two of which were nurses. 26 of the deaths were positive for COVID-19, while the cause is unknown for the remainder. Apparently, the facility even put out a plea for help on their Facebook page on Monday, before they deleted it. The post read: "To all the people calling into the governor’s office, the congressman’s office to help us tell them WE NEED HELP."
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the long-term care facility, with 76 patients testing positive in the facility, while 41 staff members have also tested positive.