Man at center of New Rochelle coronavirus outbreak released from hospital

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says ‘patient zero’ is now home, asks people not to gather in groups for Passover; Lawrence Garbuz, 50, had been on a ventilator and in an induced coma

By Marcy Oster 31 March 2020, 12:44 am

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Illustrative: Media members wearing protective masks film outside the Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue on March 10, 2020, in Westchester County, New York. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)

JTA — The attorney at the center of the coronavirus outbreak in New Rochelle, New York has been released from the hospital, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Cuomo did not identify Lawrence Garbuz by name during his daily news conference on Sunday.

“The ‘patient zero’ — what we call patient zero in Westchester, New Rochelle — who was very sick for a very long time, he has actually gone home,” Cuomo said, adding: “He’s out of the hospital.”

Originally diagnosed with pneumonia, Garbuz, 50, had been on a ventilator and in an induced coma from March 1. His wife, Adina Lewis Garbuz, announced on social media on March 18 that he had wakened from his coma.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, left, speaks as he stands beside Rear Adm. John B. Mustin after the arrival of the USNS Comfort, a naval hospital ship with a 1,000 bed-capacity, March 30, 2020, at Pier 90 in New York (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Garbuz was directly connected to 37 other confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York, including his wife, two of their children and a neighbor. Following his diagnosis, a one-mile containment zone was set up around his synagogue, the Young Israel of New Rochelle.

Cuomo was asked what those observing Passover and Easter should do when large gatherings are prohibited and people are being urged to remain in their homes.

“Worship the way you can, but the gatherings are just not a good idea,” he said. “It’s hard. But on the flip side I say look at what happened in New Rochelle: Those gatherings that brought people together were religious gatherings and brought hundreds of people together, which was beautiful, but made a lot of people ill.”