Two family members of a New Jersey woman who died from the coronavirus last week also reportedly lost their lives from the illness on Wednesday.
Grace Fusco, 73, a mother of 11 from Freehold, died in a hospital Wednesday night, her cousin and family lawyer Paradiso Fodera told the New York Times.
Fusco’s daughter, 55-year-old Rita Fusco-Jackson, died Friday, becoming New Jersey’s second coronavirus victim.
Meanwhile, Fusco’s eldest son, Carmine Fusco, also died from the virus at a hospital in Pennsylvania earlier Wednesday, Fodera told the paper.
“This has been devastating for all of us,” Fusco-Jackson’s sister Elizabeth Fusco had told NJ.com after the family’s first death.
“Our hearts are broken over losing our sister, Rita. We just need help in saving our family members with life-saving medication.”
Four of Fusco’s other children have also contracted the virus and remain hospitalized, according to the Times.
Nineteen spouses and children of the hospitalized victims — who were in contact with them since March 10 — have been tested for the bug and are in isolation at their homes.
“If they’re not on a respirator, they’re quarantined,” Fodera told the Times.
“It is so pitiful,” she added. “They can’t even mourn the way you would.”
Doctors suspect the virus was transmitted during a recent family get-together, state health officials have said.