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James Cai, 32, went to an urgent care center before he was hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center last Tuesday.
Cai is a physicians assistant, doesn't smoke and has no underlying health conditions, he said in an interview with CBS2.
He believes he contracted coronavirus at a Times Square medical conference two weekends ago and felt it spread quickly to both of his lungs.
"People have to take coronavirus seriously," Cai told CBS2. "The virus is everything. Diarrhea, watery eyes, shortness of breath, chest pain, you name it. High fever."
Cai is one of 11 people with presumed positive cases of coronavirus in New Jersey as of Monday evening.
"Presumptive" positive cases are reported when a person has at least one respiratory specimen that tests positive at a state or local laboratory for the virus that causes COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must conduct its own test to determine whether it can be considered a true positive result.
All of New Jersey's patients are awaiting confirmation from the CDC.
Governor Phil Murphy announced a state of emergency Monday night, making resources and monetary funds more accessible for public agencies that need them to help contain the coronavirus.
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