The families devastated by coronavirus: The California mother who died a day after diagnosis, the FDNY fire chief who lost a son on Sept. 11, and a 27-year-old who was told NOT to get tested as death toll soars past 7,000

A California mother died from the coronavirus a day after she was diagnosed with the infection while the illness also claimed an FDNY chief who lost a son on Sept. 11 and an upstate New York man who had symptoms, but was told not to get tested.

These are just some of the latest victims of the outbreak as it spreads across the U.S., which has had more than 272,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 7,000 dead.

Among the latest deaths reported was 32-year-old Jessica Beatriz Cortéz, of Huntington Beach, California, who was lost to the virus on Saturday, a day after she was diagnosed.

Also gone is FDNY Battalion Chief Al Petrocelli, who died Wednesday from the virus after one of his sons, Mark, perished in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

And in upstate New York, Vinnie Coon, 27, also died after showing symptoms and self-isolating on orders from a doctor who told him not to get tested. He was confirmed to have been infected by the deadly virus two days after his death on Saturday.

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Jessica Beatriz Cortéz, of Huntington Beach, California, died from COVID-19 Saturday - a day after she was diagnosed; FDNY Battalion Chief Al Petrocelli, who lost one of his sons, Mark, in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks died, Wednesday from the virus

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And in upstate New York, Vinnie Coon, 27, died after showing symptoms and self-isolating on orders from a doctor who told him not to get tested. He was confirmed to have been infected by the deadly virus two days after his death on Saturday

Reports of those who have died come as  Michigan, Louisiana and Georgia are expected to become the next coronavirus hot spots in the US.

Those states could be the next hot spots based on the current rate of deaths and positive coronavirus tests across the country, according to the White House COVID-19 task force coordinator Dr Deborah Birx.

Meanwhile, the proportion of tests coming back positive in states like Indiana, Illinois and Connecticut are now also ringing alarm bells for health officials.

In terms of current hot spots, New York continues to bear the brunt as the epicenter of the outbreak in the US with more than 100,000 infections and 2,935 deaths. 

The brutal nature of how the virus can sometimes swiftly claim its victims has taken many without giving them a chance even to say goodbye to their loved ones. 

That's what happened to Cortéz, who died just one day after she was diagnosed with the virus, Telemundo affiliate KVEA reports. 

'She began by complaining about body aches, that she felt a heaviness and fatigue,' her brother César says.

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Jessica, an El Salvador national who came to the U.S. about three years ago, had gone to work March 23, but began complaining of pain and chills. 

She was hospitalized on Friday and died the next day.

'This all happened in less than a week,' her brother says. 'I got a call that she was in very grave condition … I left what I was doing and went to the hospital and when I got there, she had already passed away.'

The brother expressed anguish knowing no one was with her when she died.

'That's the hardest part,' he said. 'That she died alone.'

The outbreak has come for some who already have suffered unimaginable suffering, including Petrocelli. 

Before he was claimed by the virus on Wednesday, the FDNY chief had lost his son, Mark, in the September 11th terrorist attacks, reports the Staten Island Advance.

Mark, one of two sons who was a commodities broker, perished while attending a meeting on the 92nd floor of World Trade Center 1 during the attacks.

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Mark, one of two sons who was a commodities broker, perished while attending a meeting on the 92nd floor of World Trade Center 1 during the attacks

'Grief is the price we pay for love,' says Petrocelli's widow and Mark's mom, Ginger.

'And today I grieve because I loved so deeply,' she adds about the double loss. 

Petrocelli passed following a visit to his doctor on March 17 when he felt fatigued. He was diagnosed with the illness on March 24.

His widow says her husband had trouble breathing on Sunday and had to be taken to the hospital, after several days of feeling weak and sleeping around the clock. 

The fire chief had been a devout Catholic who attended daily morning mass and said the Rosary each day.  

The widow and her now deceased husband were married in 1967, before Al went off to serve in Vietnam. When he returned, the couple settled on New York's Staten Island, having Mark and another boy, Al Jr.

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FDNY Fire Battalion Chief Al Petrocelli who passed away from the coroanvirus is pictured with his wife Ginger from an image posted on Facebook

Petrocelli joined the FDNY, with his GI Bill got a degree from John Jay College, and rose through the ranks and retired as a battalion chief. Al Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and is also a firefighter.

Amid the grief, questions have been raised over whether more could have been done to treat some of those who died.  

Coons, while obese, was reportedly healthy when he developed coronavirus symptoms, Spectrum News reports.

'I'm just broken,' said his brother Pat Coons.

'I'm a little angry in a way too,' the brother added.

'I think that some people have failed in stepping in to save my brother's life. I think some steps should have been taken.'

Coons died after showing symptoms and being told by a doctor not to get tested and to self-isolate.  

His mother Marjorie told WHAM her son started to 'feel funny' a few days after St. Patrick's day on March 17.

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'He woke up with a slight cough.' 

The mother said his condition worsened fast. 

'His appetite started to slow down on Wednesday,' Coons said. 'On Friday, he developed more of a fever and wasn't feeling well.' 

By Saturday morning, the mom said her son started having trouble breathing.

'He was like on fire. His body was so hot,' she said. 

She said she called for help.

'The ambulance came in and did everything they possibly could,' Coons said. 'They did CPR, and my son passed away.'

The mom said she tested negative for COVID-19, will remain in quarantine just to be safe, and while she is in mourning.

'My heart is broken and it will never be repaired.'