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Number of confirmed coronavirus cases in NJ climbs to 1,914, four more deaths reported

The state received 590 new positive coronavirus test confirmations Sunday, and the total number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in New Jersey is now 1,914. Coronavirus cases have now been confirmed in all 21 counties, state officials during a press briefing on Sunday afternoon.

“This is what we expected. This is not a surprise,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said of the numbers. “We knew, especially as we opened up testing centers, that the numbers would go up. Some of this is community spread, without question. We understand the anxiety. Who could not be anxious at this time? But we need to all work together to flatten the curve and not overwhelm our healthcare system. We are doing everything we can to keep the number of cases down, especially fatalities, as low as possible.”

New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said a total of 20 residents of the state have died as a result of complications from the coronavirus. The residents range in age from 30 to 98. The median age is 73. People over 65 with certain health issues like diabetes and heart disease are especially at risk, she said.

Persichilli said the state received 10 new confirmed cases for Mercer County today, 31 for Middlesex County, 17 for Somerset County, 66 for Monmouth Count, 5 for Burlington County, and two for Hunterdon County. Mercer County now has a total of 40 confirmed cases.

State officials said they are working on increasing capacity at hospitals, getting more protective personal equimpent for healthcare workers and first responders, and increasing the capacity for coronavirus testing in the state.

The state has created a new information clearinghouse on the coronavirus at covid19.nj.gov. Murphy said residents of the state should go there for official government information about the coronavirus.