102-Year-Old Woman In Summit Succumbs To Coronavirus

Caren Lissner
Updated ·4 min read

SUMMIT, NJ — A woman who would have been born around the time of the 1918 flu pandemic has died of coronavirus.

The Westfield Regional Health Department reported the death on Tuesday of the 102-year-old Summit resident.

"The deceased individual is a white, non-Hispanic female who was hospitalized with pre-existing health conditions" before catching the virus, the city noted. They did not provide more information.

She's the 18th fatality among Summit residents, and the first since June.

In total, 263 residents of Summit have tested positive since the pandemic began.

A month ago, the first week in September, the case count in Summit was 235. A month before that it was 228.

As of Tuesday, 209,342 cases of the virus had been recorded in New Jersey, with 14,360 deaths. The number of deaths in Union County was 1,193, out of 17,944 testing positive since the beginning of the pandemic.

To see Summit's statistics a month ago, click here.

Here are some other recent Summit area coronavirus updates:

HOW TO GET TESTED

  • Union County has added mobile walk-up test sites in addition to the drive-through testing site located at Kean University. Testing is free for Union County residents and is by appointment only with no car required; participants must wear masks and observe social distance. Any Union County resident can make an appointment for a test, whether they have symptoms. To pick a location, date and time, and to make an appointment online, visit ucnj.org/coronavirus-update/walk-up.

  • Union County residents who need to make an appointment by phone can call 908-518-4307 for assistance. Non-profit organizations and other community groups can call the Union County Office of Emergency Management at 908-654-9881 to request a visit from the Mobile Test Unit.

NATIONAL TRENDS

HOW TO GET HELP WITH HEAT, RENT, AND MORE

  • During the State of Emergency in New Jersey, no tenant is permitted to be evicted from their home or apartment for the inability to pay rent. Talk to your local mayor's office if you are experiencing difficulties.

  • The CARES act has made money available to help with rent in each city. More information is here.

  • New Jersey residents can get help with heating and energy bills. Information is here.

  • Various other avenues of relief and benefits have also been made available, including family leave for 12 weeks if you can't work due to your child's school or camp being closed, and changes to unemployment rules to help those who were at a job for a short time, or freelancing.

LONG-TERM CARE

  • Recently, 159 long term care facilities were struggling with active outbreaks, the state Department of Health said two weeks ago. The state also announced that deaths at the facilities had more than doubled since May 1. The state drew criticism as it had stopped updating numbers at some nursing homes.

  • New Jersey residents have become alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities.

  • The state released death toll statistics for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.

  • You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.

  • Some New Jersey long-term care facilities reopened for limited visits, with precautions, in July.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

  • NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/

  • General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1

  • NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

Got news? Email Caren.Lissner@patch.com. Want to be the first to get news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning? Sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.

This article originally appeared on the Summit Patch