The U.S. Department of Defense has announced the first death of a U.S. service member stemming from the coronavirus.
The man was a member of the National Guard from New Jersey and passed away over the weekend. He had tested positive for the coronavirus and had been in the hospital since March 21.
In a press release Secretary of Defense Mark Esper wrote "today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we have lost our first American service member - active, reserve or guard - to coronavirus, This is a stinging loss for our military community, and our condolences go out to his family, friends, civilian co-workers and the entire national guard community. The news of this loss strengthens our resolve to work ever more closely with our interagency partners to stop the spread of COVID-19."
