New Jersey woman, 73, dies of coronavirus within days of her son and daughter succumbing to it
A New Jersey grandmother died of coronavirus within days of her son and daughter succumbing to the infection.
On Wednesday, Grace Fusco, 73, died after catching COVID-19, The New York Times reported. The matriarch had 11 children and 27 grandkids. Her death came after the demise of her son Carmine Fusco and her daughter Rita Jackson.
Speaking about the plight of the family, an unnamed relative said that four more of Grace’s children are currently hospitalized with coronavirus. Another 20 family members are in self-quarantine inside their respective homes. “If they’re not on a respirator, they’re quarantined. It is so pitiful,” a representative for the family said. “They can’t even mourn the way you would.”
Judith M Persichilli, state health commissioner, said that the family is believed to have contracted the virus after they gathered together for dinner, where one of the attendees had prior contact with a coronavirus positive man.
“I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take personal responsibility and to avoid even small gatherings,” said Persichilli.
The church which was attended by Rita, 55, took to Facebook to share the news with its members over the weekend, asking them to take necessary precautions apart from mourning her loss.
“I ask that every member of the parish please remember the Fusco-Jackson family in their prayers as they deal with the loss of Rita and for all who have been impacted by COVID-19 here in the parish and throughout the nation,” wrote the church on Facebook.
“As serious as this coronavirus is, we’re going to come out on the other end, and my hope is we’ll come out stronger and more cognizant that we live in a global village of emerging infectious diseases,” Medical historian Dr. Howard Markel, a professor at the University of Michigan, told People magazine. “It’s not an issue of if, it’s an issue of when.”