NJ In New CDC Coronavirus Hot Zone: 2nd Highest Case Rate In U.S.

NEW JERSEY — The latest data shows New Jersey wedged inside a new COVID-19 hot zone, and it's currently ranked second in the U.S. in coronavirus cases per capita over the past week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The latest data released from the CDC shows only Michigan faring worse, and Gov. Phil Murphy has suggested that the trend could prevent more reopenings or capacity expansions in the coming weeks.

New Jersey is reporting a COVID-19 infection rate of 300.7 cases per 100,000 population over the past seven days. By comparison, Michigan is 515.8, Minnesota is 248.4, New York is 244.5, Pennsylvania is 236.1 and New Hampshire is 220.5 per 100,000 population.

Murphy has said that New Jersey's still-too-high case rate will prevent the Garden State from taking the same path as California, which plans a full reopening in June.

"The current capacities are anomalous with the realities that we have, but we're constantly thinking," he said during a recent press conference. "When I say don't expect anything meaningful soon, that's previewing our thinking ... as long as we're in the thick of this right now."

Murphy believes the spread of the COVID-19 variants has kept the state's cases high, even though New Jersey just had two days in a row with fewer than 3,000 new cases for the first time in months.

It's not clear how many variant cases are in New Jersey, though Murphy has said in recent weeks that there are at least 700.

Once the variants are under control, Murphy said, the state will likely "be more liberal" with capacities.

"I'll bet you we're not going to be turning our back on face coverings by Memorial Day, indoors at least. I don't see that," Murphy said. "I just don't see it. My guess is we're still going to be preaching the basics: face coverings, social distancing, wash your hands with soap and water, take yourself off the field if you either don't feel well or you've been exposed, get tested at the right point."

The data comes a week after the results of a new analysis by UC Berkeley placed New Jersey's and America's coronavirus response among the worst. Here's why. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Response Ranks Among Worst In America: Index

Many New Jersey towns had COVID-19 spikes and ranked high for cases and infection rates in 2020. A new Rutgers report shows New Jersey's town-by-town impact in 2020, ranked. Read more: Report Shows Town-By-Town NJ COVID Impact, Infection Rates Ranked

The state's vaccination program, on the other hand, has made progress. Murphy has announced that vaccines will be available to everyone 16 years old and over beginning on April 19. Read more: COVID Vaccines To Expand to NJ Residents 16 And Older

Still, other New Jersey numbers remain troubling.

The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has climbed slightly in recent weeks after dipping. As of Wednesday, there were 2,375 residents hospitalized with the virus in New Jersey.

The positivity rate has also risen slightly, while the rate of transmission has dropped, according to the Department of Public Health.

Positivity is a function of the number of coronavirus tests performed compared to the number of confirmed infections, and it has been one of the key metrics for determining when businesses and schools reopened or closed in the state.