NJ COVID Cases Up More Than 104 Percent From Last Month: State Data
NEW JERSEY - Cases of COVID-19 are ticking up again across the country and in the Garden State, with 1,776 new confirmed cases reported Sunday in the state, with an additional 474 probable new cases.
1 new COVID-19 lab-confirmed death was also noted, as well as five hospital-reported deaths, adding to the U.S. COVID-19 fatality total of 993,717. It’s the highest-recorded number of COVID-19 deaths in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University, followed by Brazil, Indian, Russia and Mexico.
In fact, the CDC said COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2021, after heart disease and cancer. There have been 33,434 COVID-19 deaths in New Jersey since March 2020.
New Jersey’s latest numbers represent a 16.3 percent increase from last Monday, and a 104.6 percent increase in cases compared to this time last month. The seven-day average for confirmed cases in New Jersey rose to 2,168 this week, up 151 percent from last month.
The rate of transmission is currently 1.15 according to the state’s COVID-19 data dashboard, meaning that every new case is leading to roughly one other new case.
The news comes as the FDA is poised to authorize a low-dose Moderna vaccine for kids ages six months to five years. Read more: COVID Vax For NJ Kids Under 5: Moderna Asks FDA To Authorize
As of Monday, eight New Jersey counties are labeled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as "medium" areas for transmission (Bergen, Essex, Morris, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Atlantic and Cape May counties). Per the CDC, "medium" rates of transmission means at-risk individuals are recommended to speak with healthcare providers about whether mask-wearing or other precautions are necessary. The rest of the counties in the state report "low" transmission.
Gov. Phil Murphy noted earlier this month that the uptick in reported cases was to be expected in the days following the religious celebrations. Read more: Mask Mandate Return In NJ? 'Never Say Never,' Says Gov. Murphy
"The only other side to that [anticipated spike], is good news: the weather is getting warmer, we're going to be outside … over the next couple of weeks and months," Murphy told News12 during 'Ask Gov. Murphy' on April 11.
"These waves come and go. We're probably in the soup here for another four to six weeks, but nothing remotely that we're looking at like what we've gone through before," Murphy added. Read more: Post-Holiday COVID Spike In NJ: What You Need To Know
NJ COVID Cases Up More Than 104 Percent From Last Month: State Data originally appeared on the Across New Jersey Patch
