An elderly Princeton woman who may have been infected by a home health aide has become the town’s first COVID-19 death, the Princeton Health Department announced April 2.
The woman, who was in her 90s, may have acquired COVID-19 through contact with the home health aide, officials said.
The Princeton Health Department is investigating contacts of the home health aide. Close contacts of an infected person must self-isolate for 14 days, which is the time frame for COVID-19 symptoms to become apparent.
The Princeton woman is the fourth Mercer County resident to die after contracting COVID-19, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Information about the other three deaths was unavailable.
The elderly woman also is one of 32 Princeton residents to have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began last month. The first confirmed COVID-19 cases in Princeton have been tied to a Feb. 29 party in town.
Currently, the Princeton Health Department is monitoring 20 Princeton residents whose cases are active and who are in self-isolation, and 11 residents who have recovered from COVID-19.
Mercer County has recorded 386 residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, and four who have died as of April 2, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
Statewide, 25,590 New Jersey residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 537 New Jersey residents have died, the New Jersey Department of Health said.
