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Kim King-Smith died Tuesday from complications of the virus, officials said.
King-Smith worked as a night-shift electrocardiogram technician at University Hospital in Newark.
The 53-year-old Piscataway resident is the first hospital employee to die from COVID-19, officials said.
“Our health care workers are superheroes, but they are also human,” Murphy wrote in a Tweet re-sharing the news of King-Smith’s death.
“We all mourn Kim’s tragic death along with her family, friends, and @UnivHospNewark family as they continue their heroic work to save lives.”
There were more than 90 patients confirmed positive or COVID-19 residing at the hospital Wednesday, but officials say the numbers are more likely to be in the triple digits.
However, CEO and President Shereef Elnahal said there was “no evidence” that King-Smith contracted COVID-19 while working at the hospital, despite its spike in patient volume.
Meanwhile, hospital officials are screening employees’ temperatures before shifts and offering all staff members masks in an effort to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
More than 3,600 new cases and 91 deaths from the virus were announced statewide as of Wednesday, officials said.
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