Coronavirus NJ: 256 new cases in Monmouth County, 231 in Ocean

State health officials reported more than 200 new coronavirus cases each in Monmouth and Ocean counties Friday as the state moved to honor those lost during the pandemic.

Monmouth County

There were 256 new COVID-19 cases in Monmouth County reported to the New Jersey Department of Health in the past 24 hours. The county now has a total of 1,743 cases, according to data from the state department of health. County officials confirmed that number later Friday.

Officials on Thursday reported 10 new deaths in the county connected to the coronavirus pandemic. The county's death toll is now 48, according to state health department data.

Health officials reiterated that not all those deaths happened within the past 24 hours and the numbers were culled from multiple sources.

Ocean County

There were 231 additional cases of COVID-19 in Ocean County reported to the state health department over the past day, according to state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. The county's case tally is now 1,685, according to state data.

The Ocean County Health Department later reported 1,710 cases countywide.

Officials also reported seven additional deaths in Ocean County, bringing the countywide death toll from the pandemic to 45. Officials said those deaths likely happened over the past several days because of the lag time in reporting information to the state.

Statewide

Across New Jersey, there were 4,372 additional cases announced Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 29,895. Officials announced 113 new deaths in the state, raising the death toll to 646.

Statewide, roughly 42% of those tested for COVID-19 have returned a positive result, officials said. 

Additionally, there are 3,016 in New Jersey hospitals who have tested positive for COVID-19. A similar number of hospitalized patients are awaiting test results, which can take a week or more to come back.

About 41% of those patients are on ventilators, officials said.

COVID-19 patients now represent about 12% of all hospitalized patients in New Jersey,

State projections have indicated that up to 35,000 could be hospitalized with COVID-19 at the peak of the outbreak. Officials have said they are seeing signs of the long-promised surge of COVID-19 patients in the northern part of the state, where several hospitals have at times no longer been accepting new patients.

Honoring those lost

Gov. Phil Murphy Friday ordered all American flags in the state lowered to half staff indefinitely to honor those New Jersey has lost and "will lose" because of the pandemic.

“This is one of the greatest tragedies every to hit our state and our nation," Murphy said. “We must have a constant and visible memorial of the tremendous personal toll COVID-19 is having on our communities. And since families at this time cannot even hold funerals for their lost loved ones, this a way — a small way but I think an important way — we can make sure that their loss is not forgotten.”

Murphy has taken to highlighting a few of the recent fatalities during the state's daily coronavirus briefing. On Friday, he paid tribute to a principal from Caldwell and a jazz musician originally from Paterson.

The governor also started honoring people doing good works at a time when so many are suffering. He shouted out Lakewood resident Sam Stein, the owner of nursing home operator Complete Care, who Murphy said had donated 15 ventilators to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and was working to spread the message that people needed to stay home. 

Other updates

Murphy said officials have "no issue" with residents wearing non-surgical masks or face coverings to prevent the spread of coronavirus. But the governor warned that people should not assume that wearing a mask "makes you Superman or Superwoman and that you can ignore the social distancing that we are pounding the table on.”

He warned that masks only prevent infected people from spreading the virus and do not provide protection for people who are not carrying the virus.

State health officials said Thursday that they don't plan to make a sweeping recommendation on wearing masks even as the federal government plans to release new guidelines in response to evidence that people showing no symptoms are still spreading the disease.

Officials also warned residents that with the Easter and Passover holidays approaching, people should not gather in houses of worship and not convene in person with relatives living outside their homes.

"I know this will be difficult," Persichilli said. "It is imperative to limit face-to-face interaction."

Murphy said he spoke Thursday with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has become the face of the federal government's response to the pandemic. Fauci stressed it was important not only for officials to restrict gatherings, but also for ordinary people to follow those directives, the governor said.

"Behave as though you've got it (COVID-19)," Murphy said.

Andrew Goudsward: agoudsward@gannett.com; 732-897-4555; @agoudsward on Twitter.