Six months after it announced its first case, New Jersey — one of the nation’s earliest hard-hit areas — has now reported 15,978 confirmed and probable deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 193,422 known cases out of more than 2.96 million administered tests.
That’s after state officials on Friday reported seven more deaths — four from June — and 478 new cases related to COVID-19.
In addition, the state’s rate of transmission increased to 1.03, jumping above the key mark of 1 for the first time in two weeks, indicating the outbreak is expanding again. It’s the seventh straight day the rate has risen.
But hospitalizations for the virus fell below 500 for the first time in three days.
Of the newly reported deaths, three occurred Sept. 2, one Aug. 29, and four in June that were just recently confirmed, officials said. Of the state’s total deaths, 14,195 are lab-confirmed and 1,783 are considered probable.
“Six months ago today — although it seems like 60 years ago — we received confirmation of our first case of coronavirus in New Jersey,” Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “We’ve experienced a lot together over these past six months. And we still have a long road to travel.”
The new figures come exactly 184 days since the state announced its first positive test March 4. They also come as New Jersey begins Labor Day weekend by allowing bars and restaurants to reopen indoor dining sections Friday at 25% capacity and with other restrictions. Movie theaters and indoor performing arts centers are also permitted to reopen Friday with similar guidelines.
Six months into the crisis, New Jersey’s one-day numbers are down significantly from the early weeks of the pandemic, when the Garden State would routinely report hundreds of new deaths and thousands of new cases a day.
And after Murphy issued unprecedented — and often controversial — orders for residents to stay home for more than 11 weeks and most businesses to remain closed, the state has slowly and gradually reopened in recent months, albeit with capacity restrictions, masks mandates, and other restrictions.
Plus, more than 34,900 residents have recovered from the illness, according to Johns Hopkins University, and that number is likely much higher.
But the virus has taken a major toll on the state of 9 million residents. Only one other state, neighboring New York, has suffered more deaths. Only seven other states, have recorded more cases. At least 7,112 people at nursing homes and longterm care facilities, both residents and staffers, have been lost to the disease — about half of the state’s overall deaths.
Meanwhile, the economy has suffered greatly amid the rash of restrictions. More than 1.5 million New Jersey residents have filed for unemployment, while businesses have lost untold revenue and many have closed permanently.
Murphy also warned this week that while the state’s numbers have improved tremendously, the state is not “out of the woods.”
New Jersey has seen new deaths hover around 10 and new cases in the 300s over the last several days. But Friday marked the second straight day the state has reported more than 400 cases.
The governor said Friday there appears to be an “ebb and flow” with the virus lately — an “undulating” that “comes and goes.”
”And I think we’re living that, this week and especially today,” Murphy said.
TRANSMISSION RATE
New Jersey’s new 1.03 transmission rate is up from the 0.99 announced Thursday. The number has ticked up incrementally in recent days after declining for more than a week. The last time it was above 1 was Aug. 21.
Any number above 1 means each newly infected person, on average, is spreading the virus to at least one other person. Any number below 1 means the virus is decreasing.
The state’s latest positivity rate — the percentage of residents who test positive for COVID-19 in a single day — was 1.81% on Aug. 31, the date with the most recent available data.
Murphy dismissed concerns that the state’s numbers have been inflated by false positives — test results that incorrectly come back positive.
“We’re not sensing any issue with false positives,” he said.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
There were 466 patients with COVID-19 or under suspicion for it across New Jersey’s 71 hospitals Thursday night. That’s 34 fewer patients than the night before.
Of those, 249 have tested positive for the virus and 217 are under investigation while they await test results.
Meanwhile, 95 of the patients were in critical or intensive care (three fewer than the night before), including 40 on ventilators (four more than the night before).
There were 37 coronavirus patients patients discharged from the state’s hospitals Thursday, according to the state’s tracking website.
The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped dramatically since the state’s peak in mid-April, when there were more than 8,000 patients.
COUNTY-BY-COUNTY NUMBERS
- Atlantic County: 3,784 cases (9 new), 241 confirmed deaths (11 probable)
- Bergen County: 21,752 cases (36 new), 1,794 confirmed deaths (242 probable)
- Burlington County: 6,521 cases (28 new), 443 confirmed deaths (39 probable)
- Camden County: 9,1270 cases (33 new), 541 confirmed deaths (52 probable)
- Cape May County: 921 cases (2 new), 87 confirmed deaths (7 probable)
- Cumberland County: 3,606 cases (8 new), 148 confirmed deaths (8 probable)
- Essex County: 20,463 cases (50 new), 1,890 confirmed deaths (229 probable)
- Gloucester County: 3,762 cases (32 new), 215 confirmed deaths (7 probable)
- Hudson County: 20,227 cases (22 new), 1,349 confirmed deaths (160 probable)
- Hunterdon County: 1,223 cases (5 new), 70 confirmed deaths (55 probable)
- Mercer County: 8,390 cases (19 new), 595 confirmed deaths (36 probable)
- Middlesex County: 18,531 cases (34 new), 1,217 confirmed deaths (201 probable)
- Monmouth County: 10,862 cases (45 new), 767 confirmed deaths (92 probable)
- Morris County: 7,548 cases (23 new), 685 confirmed deaths (144 probable)
- Ocean County: 11,358 cases (49 new), 967 confirmed deaths (63 probable)
- Passaic County: 18,469 cases (35 new), 1,105 confirmed deaths (143 probable)
- Salem County: 988 cases (3 new), 83 confirmed deaths (6 probable)
- Somerset County: 5,446 cases (10 new), 493 confirmed deaths (73 probable)
- Sussex County: 1,408 cases (3 new), 161 confirmed deaths (36 probable)
- Union County: 17,187 cases (22 new), 1,186 confirmed deaths (166 probable)
- Warren County: 1,399 cases (1 new), 158 confirmed deaths (13 probable)
There are another 307 positive cases that remain under investigation, with the patients’ home counties not confirmed.
AGE BREAKDOWNS
Broken down by age, those 30 to 49 years old make up the largest percentage of New Jersey residents that caught the virus (31.6%), followed by those 50-64 (27.6%), 18-29 (14%), 65-79 (14%), 80 and older (9.9%), 5-17 (2.4%), and 0-4 (0.5%).
But, on average, the virus has been more deadly for older residents, especially those with pre-existing conditions. Nearly half the state’s deaths have been of residents 80 and older (47.3%), followed by those 65-79 (32.2%), 50-64 (15.95%), 30-49 (4.3%), 18-25 (0.4%), 5-17 (0%), and 0-4 (0%).
CONTACT TRACING AND REOPENING
New Jersey has added another 66 contact tracers to help fight the spread of the virus, bringing the state’s total to 1,769, Murphy said.
The state is averaging 19.9 tracers per 100,000, he said. But state officials expressed dismay that 53% of people reached by the state’s contact tracers refuse to cooperate while about 20% of people don’t answer the calls at all.
“I really cannot put it any clearer: Our contact tracers only care about protecting public health and about protecting you and your family and friends,” Murphy said. “We cannot get ahead of this virus if you don’t work with our contact tracers. And, if we do not get ahead of this virus, then the steps we have taken this week to reopen our restaurants and theaters, for example, may be in jeopardy.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
Murphy has stressed this is a “big week” as the state takes closely watched reopening steps. Gyms were permitted to reopen to limited indoor capacity Tuesday, with indoor dining, movie theaters, and performing arts venues following Friday.
The governor called on bars and restaurants to follow the new indoor dining rules over Labor Day weekend. Otherwise, he said, he will hold off on expanding capacities.
“I cannot and will not be able to do that if this weekend, and the weeks to follow, see a slew of restaurant owners and managers flagrantly violating the rules in that are in place,” Murphy said.
Meanwhile, as the new school year begins, Murphy said Friday that 354 school districts in the state are reopening with a mix of in-person and remote learning, 59 with all in-person learning, 172 with all-remote learning, and 22 with a combination of all of the above.
But officials said they are still reviewing reopening plans in about 25% of New Jersey’s school districts.
In addition, New Jersey is still calling on travelers from 30 states and three U.S. territories that qualify as coronavirus hotspots to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving. That includes residents returning home from a trip.
GLOBAL NUMBERS
As of early Friday afternoon, there have been more than 26.38 million positive COVID-19 tests across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 870,100 people have died, while more than 17.56 million people have recovered.
The United States has the most positive tests in the world, at more than 6.16 million, and the most deaths, at more than 186,900.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.