680 Coronavirus Cases In Ocean County, 10 Deaths: Officials

Karen Wall
·3 min read

This article originally appeared on the Manchester Patch

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Another Ocean County resident has died of the new coronavirus and cases in the county continued to rise, reaching 680 as a testing site is poised to open, county health officials said Saturday.

There have been 10 county residents who have died of the virus; the first was a man in his 70s who died March 19. Information on those who have died, including hometowns, has not been released by authorities.

Statewide, there have been 11,124 positive tests for COVID-19 as of Saturday afternoon, and 140 people have died from it, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. Just shy of 35 percent of all the COVID-19 tests conducted so far have come back positive for the virus, she said. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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Testing facilities have increased statewide, and on Monday, Ocean County will have a test site opening at Ocean County College.

Access is by appointment only and you must be a county resident, symptomatic, and in possession of a prescription to be tested, county officials have said.

For information about registering for an appointment, check the health department's website. More than 300 people have registered so far, with Monday testing at the site at Ocean County College set to open at 9 a.m. All of Monday's appointments are full.

The 680 cases in Ocean County as of Saturday break down as follows: 272 in Lakewood, 91 in Toms River, 72 in Brick, 64 in Jackson, 41 in Berkeley, 32 in Manchester, 22 in Point Pleasant, 20 in Barnegat, 17 in Lacey, eight in Stafford, six in Little Egg Harbor, six in South Toms River, four in Beachwood, four in Plumsted, four in Waretown, two in Long Beach Township, two in Barnegat Light, two in Point Pleasant Beach, two in Seaside Heights, two in Ship Bottom, and one each in Bay Head, Beach Haven, Island Heights, Lavallette, Ocean Gate, Seaside Park, and Surf City.

There are two Ocean County employees who have tested positive and five others who are under self-quarantine, Ocean County Administrator Carl Block confirmed. Read more: 2 Ocean County Employees Positive For Coronavirus: Administrator

Daniel Regenye, public health coordinator for the Ocean County Health Department, urged residents to follow the instructions on registering for the testing at Ocean County College.

"We do not want anyone to show up at this testing site without following the requirements we have put in place," Regenye said. "We are not going to do any health screenings at the site. It is just for testing for the virus."

To be tested at the Ocean County College site, these are the requirements:

  • You must be an Ocean County resident and have identification.

  • You must have a physician's prescription

  • You must make an online appointment at www.ochd.org.

  • You must be symptomatic.

Regenye said any practitioner (including a nurse practitioner, advanced practice nurse, medical doctor, physician assistant, etc.) who has prescription privileges in New Jersey can write a script for COVID-19 testing, it does not necessarily have to be a physician.

With many health care providers currently doing telemedicine, you do not need to see a physician in person to obtain the necessary script and Regenye urged people who are showing symptoms to use that option to avoid needlessly exposing others.

Hackensack Meridian Health and RWJ Barnabas Healthcare System both are helping to staff the testing site and both have telemedicine available to help people get the needed prescription.
The telemedicine services at the hospitals can be accessed at:

RWJ Barnabas Healthcare System (Community Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus) www.RWJBHtelemed.org use code RWJBH15
Hackensack Meridian Health (Ocean Medical Center, Southern Ocean Medical Center) https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/covid19/

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