NJ reports 16 new coronavirus deaths, 261 new cases as transmission rate remains above key benchmark in disease spread


Governor Phil Murphy announced 16 new coronavirus deaths and 261 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours on Thursday, as the virus transmission rate remains above 1, a key benchmark for determining the spread of the disease. .

The latest update brings the number of deaths to 15,809 known and probable deaths and 180,970 confirmed positive tests since the outbreak began nearly five months ago. That includes 13,934 laboratory confirmed deaths and 1,875 probable deaths.

The state hit a one-day high in deaths, 468, on April 30 and a one-day high in new cases, 4,305, on April 3.

The transmission rate reported Thursday was stable at 1.14, above the key benchmark of 1. That means that each new case is causing more than one additional infection and the virus is spreading. The transmission rate had been below 1 for weeks during the strictest parts of New Jersey’s coronavirus blockades, but has dropped above and below 1 in July as more reopening steps have occurred.

Murphy has said the rise above 1 is cause for concern.

COUNTY NUMBERS BY COUNTY

  • Atlantic County: 3,331 cases (12 new), 235 confirmed deaths (15 probable)
  • Bergen County: 20,412 cases (25 new), 1,785 confirmed deaths (255 probable)
  • Burlington County: 5,732 cases (14 new), 429 confirmed deaths (40 probable)
  • Camden County: 8,240 cases (19 new), 516 confirmed deaths (55 probable)
  • Cape May County: 803 cases (1 new), 81 confirmed deaths (5 probable)
  • Cumberland County: 3,184 cases (7 new), 144 confirmed deaths (13 probable)
  • Essex County: 19,441 cases (18 new), 1,857 confirmed deaths (243 probable)
  • Gloucester County: 3,031 cases (14 new), 199 confirmed deaths (7 probable)
  • Hudson County: 19,434 cases (6 new), 1,330 confirmed deaths (169 probable)
  • Hunterdon County: 1,125 cases (0 new), 70 confirmed deaths (56 likely)
  • Mercer County: 8,000 cases (14 new), 571 confirmed deaths (41 probable)
  • Middlesex County: 17,626 cases (20 new), 1,197 confirmed deaths (206 probable)
  • Monmouth County: 10,004 cases (21 new), 758 confirmed deaths (100 probable)
  • Morris County: 7,109 cases (7 new), 677 confirmed deaths (151 probable)
  • Ocean County: 10,356 cases (27 new), 946 confirmed deaths (68 probable)
  • Passaic County: 17,384 cases (18 new), 1,091 confirmed deaths (151 probable)
  • Salem County: 867 cases (1 new), 78 confirmed deaths (5 probable)
  • Somerset County: 5,170 cases (8 new), 481 confirmed deaths (73 probable)
  • Sussex County: 1,293 cases (2 new), 158 confirmed deaths (37 likely)
  • Union County: 16,456 cases (21 new), 1,175 confirmed deaths (171 probable)
  • Warren County: 1,326 cases (0 new), 157 confirmed deaths (14 likely)

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live Map Tracker The | Newsletter The | Homepage

Hospitalizations stabilized on Wednesday after climbing for three days.

There were 759 people hospitalized, according to state data. Of these, 123 people were being treated in critical or intensive care, including 51 people with ventilators.

Murphy said Wednesday that health officials blame the holiday parties for fueling an increase in positive test results. The governor said the dangers of indoor gatherings are the reason his administration has come to a halt on things like reopening indoor dining.

“In the past four days, we have reported approximately 2,000 new positive coronavirus test results. We are now back, more or less, to where we were about a month ago in the daily number of new cases, “Murphy said during his briefing on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the state health commissioner said the number of people ages 18-29 who tested positive for COVID-19 increased 12% in April and 22% in June to 33% this month.

The concern is that younger people, who may not be as affected by the virus, will transmit COVID-19 to the most vulnerable members of their family and community.

The highest percentage of people who tested positive were between 30 and 49 years old, with 56,731 or 31.6%, according to state data at the beginning of the week.

Residents aged 50 to 64 years were the second highest, with 49,579 or 27.6%, then 65-79 years, with 25,146 or 14% and 18-29, with 25,138 or 14%. According to the data, almost 10% of the people evaluated were 80 years of age or older (17,771) and only 2.3% of the positive cases were between the ages of five and 17, and only 928 people up to the age of four tested positive.

The outbreak has been disproportionately fatal to older people.

According to state data, there have been 6,565 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths of people 80 and older. There were 4,468 deaths of people aged 65 to 79 years, and 2,202 from 50 to 64 years. According to the data, 592 people aged 30 to 49 died; 55 people from 18 to 29 years old and two people in the state under 4 years old.

As of early Thursday morning, there have been more than 17 million positive tests for COVID-19 worldwide, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Of these, more than 668,000 have died and nearly 10 million have recovered, including more than 32,300 in New Jersey.

There have been more than 151,000 deaths in the United States, the most in the world.

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Matt Arco can be reached in [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.