Coronavirus NJ: Morris County positive cases rise to 841

Morris County's coronavirus positive cases rose to 841 on Tuesday as March comes to a close.

The first New Jersey individual to test positive for the novel coronavirus was reported March 4. As of March 31, there were a total of 18,696 positive cases in New Jersey with t 267 deaths, said Gov. Phil Murphy during Tuesday's daily briefing.

This week Morris County's Office of Health Management released a town by town tally of positive cases. The numbers, as of March 29, showed the highest number of cases were in Morristown with 60, Dover with 54, Parsippany with 49 and Randolph with 46. The fewest cases were reported in Chester with one, Mountain Lakes with three, Victory Gardens with three, Mount Arlington with four and Mendham with five. 

Morris County reported 65 new cases on Tuesday, said state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. 

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Of the deaths reported in New Jersey from complications of coronavirus, 1% or three were under the age of 30; 12% between 30 and 49; 17% between 50 and 64; 30% between 65 to 79; and 126 individuals, or 47% over the age of 80.

Of the deaths, Persichilli said 55% were men and 45% women; 42% had underlying health conditions; and 19% or 52, associated with long-term care facilities. She said 81 of the 371 long-term facilities in the state, 81 have reported at least one COVID-19 positive case.

Murphy continued to ask state residents to "stay at home before it hits home," on Tuesday after he talked of the deaths of Israel Tolentino, 33, Passaic firefighter, and Cliffside Park baseball coach Ben Luderer, 30.

"This isn't about you, it's about us," Murphy said, adding this isn't the time for people to be selfish. 

Testing

Morris County opened its second testing site on Monday at the County College of Morris. The site is for individuals with a doctor's referral and an appointment. To make an appointment visit https://health.morriscountynj.gov/COVIDTesting. Officials scheduled 90 appointments on their first day and hope to double that number by day two. 

The testing center is opened Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and tests are free. 

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Those with additional questions can call the county hotline at 973-829-8250, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Morris County residents can sign up for an appointment at https://health.morriscountynj.gov/COVIDTesting. To get test results, visit the patient portal at https://www.bioreference.com/patient-portal/. 

Atlantic Health System launched Morris County's first by-appointment-only drive-thru testing center at Morristown Medical Center. The testing center opened with 33 appointments. It scheduled 80 appointments on its second day. 

Email: Sportelli@NorthJersey.com