N.J. coronavirus deaths increase to 11,970 with 162,530 total cases. Hospitalizations fall below 2,000 for 1s – NJ.com

New Jersey has now lost 11,970 lives to the coronavirus as the number of total cases rose Thursday to 162,530, though hospitalizations fell below 2,000 for the first time in more than two months as the outbreak continues to slow.

Gov. Phil Murphy reported 92 new deaths and 603 new positive tests among the 9 million residents of the state, which has the second-largest outbreak after New York. New Jersey hit a one-day high in deaths — 460 — on April 30 and a one-day high in new cases — 4,391 — on April 16.

New Jersey’s 71 hospitals reported 1,982 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases as of Wednesday night. That’s the first time that hospitalizations, which Murphy has called a key real-time indicator of the outbreak, has fallen below 2,000 since the state began publicly tracking that data on April 4. It’s also down 75% from the peak on April 14 when the state had 8,085 patients in hospitals.

“Getting below 2,000 hospitalizations is a milestone for our recovery,” Murphy said. “These are very good indicators as we prepare to enter Stage 2.”

Of those hospitalized as of Wednesday, 537 were in critical condition and 406 were on ventilators – both new lows. The steady decline in hospital patients has been throughout the state, which health officials have been tracking regionally.

The total number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey is cumulative and does not reflect the likely thousands of residents who have recovered. There may also be infected residents who have yet to be tested, though the state has more than doubled the daily tests being administered in recent weeks. More than 857,000 tests have been conducted in New Jersey as of Thursday, according to state health officials.

Officials admitted Wednesday that New Jersey’s death toll might actually be higher because the state is reporting only lab-confirmed fatalities and not deaths of those who may have had the virus but weren’t tested.

The county-by-county list of cases and deaths include:

  • Hudson County: 18,465 with 1,199 deaths
  • Bergen County: 18,408 with 1,603 deaths
  • Essex County: 17,912 with 1,694 deaths
  • Passaic County: 16,311 with 954 deaths
  • Middlesex County: 16,072 with 1,015 deaths
  • Union County: 15,953 with 1,088 deaths
  • Ocean County: 8,900 with 763 deaths
  • Monmouth County: 8,379 with 627 deaths
  • Mercer County: 7,072 with 492 deaths
  • Camden County: 6,663 with 352 deaths
  • Morris County: 6,548 with 622 deaths
  • Burlington County: 4,725 with 307 deaths
  • Somerset County: 4,626 with 423 deaths
  • Cumberland County: 2,469 with 79 deaths
  • Gloucester County: 2,290 with 150 deaths
  • Atlantic County: 2,286 with 164 deaths
  • Warren County: 1,186 with 132 deaths
  • Sussex County: 1,131 with 149 deaths
  • Hunterdon County: 1,009 with 61 deaths
  • Salem County: 659 with 46 deaths
  • Cape May County: 630 with 50 deaths

Another 836 positive tests are under investigation to determine where the person resides.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

As numbers have dropped in recent weeks, Murphy has gradually lifted the near-lockdown restrictions he ordered in March to slow the spread of the virus.

He has already allowed parks, beaches, boardwalks, and lakes in New Jersey to reopen. He increased the limit on outdoor gatherings to 25. Indoor gatherings remain capped at 10.

Murphy announced Monday he will allow outdoor dining and nonessential retail stores to welcome customers inside at reduced capacity starting June 15 as Stage 2 of reopening begins. Hair salons and barbershops will follow June 22.

Child daycare centers in New Jersey can reopen June 15, outdoor, non-contact organized sports can resume June 22, and youth day camps can operate beginning July 6, all with restrictions. The governor also said live horse racing can return, without fans, as early as this weekend. And he said the state is hoping to allow larger indoor gatherings, including those at churches and other houses of worship, by the weekend of June 12.

More than 1.1 million New Jersey residents have filed for unemployment since aggressive social distancing started in mid-March, causing the state’s unemployment rate to surge to 15.3%, though the number of new claims has fallen in recent weeks. Many say they’ve been waiting for weeks to get paid and have struggled with the state’s busy phone and online systems.

Murphy’s administration has said it plans to cut $1.3 billion in state spending due to plummeting tax revenue. The governor has warned of up to 200,000 public-worker layoffs if the federal government doesn’t provide more direct aid to states.

As of Thursday, more than 6.5 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. Of those, more than 386,500 have died and more than 2.8 million have recovered.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.