Officials fear entire Christian nursing home is infected with coronavirus

(Photo: NBC News)

There are fears that an entire nursing home run by nuns in New Jersey has been infected with coronavirus.

All 94 residents at St Joseph's Senior Home, in Woodbridge, are now presumed to have the virus and have been evacuated.

The home is operated by the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, but with coronavirus spreading rapidly around New Jersey, staff shortages reduced the number of nuns caring for all of the residents to just three at the time of the evacuation. 

Government sources told WNBC-TV that 24 at the home had tested positive for coronavirus, with the other 70 being "presumptive positive". 

The residents were bussed to a backup facility in Whippany, 30 miles north, by medical workers in full protective gear.

The New York Times reports that at least six of those who tested positive for coronavirus have succumbed to the virus. 

There were over 6,800 coronavirus cases in New Jersey as of Friday.  Only New York state has more, with nearly 40,000.