N.J. coronavirus deaths increase to 15,423, infection rate keeps rising as Murphy mandates masks outdoors – NJ.com

New Jersey on Wednesday reported 53 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 335 new positive tests, while the rate of transmission — a statistic that has state officials worried of late — rose slightly again.

The new numbers come as Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state will now require people to wear masks outdoors in public when they can’t practice social distancing.

Murphy also announced that restaurants and bars in the Garden State that are able to open 50% of their wall space can allow indoor dining, saying the air flow is better there than in closed spaces.

New Jersey has now reported 15,423 known deaths related to COVID-19 — 13,476 lab-confirmed and 1,947 probable — with 174,039 known cases in the little more than four months since the the state’s first case was announced March 4.

This comes as the U.S. has surpassed 3 million cases, with about 1 million coming in the last 28 days as numerous states have seen a surge in new positive tests.

New Jersey — once a coronavirus hotspot — has seen its number of daily new cases and deaths, as well as hospitalizations, fall significantly since peaking in April and remain relatively steady in recent days.

But officials are concerned the Garden State’s transmission rate recently jumped past the critical mark of 1 after falling below it for 10 weeks. That means, on average, every newly infected resident is now passing COVID-19 to at least one other person.

Officials said Wednesday the rate of transmission had climbed from 1.05 to 1.10.

“This is, again, why we are taking the steps today to require everyone to wear masks and face coverings when outside,” Murphy said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “We have to have both a lower daily positivity and a rate below one. This is not either/or, this is and/both. It’s the only way we can meaningfully slow the rate of spread of COVID-19 to save lives and not see our progress backslide.”

HOSPITAL NUMBERS AND TRANSMISSION RATE

There were 935 patients with the coronavirus or under investigation for it across 70 of New Jersey’s 71 hospitals as of Tuesday night. One hospital did not report data. That’s up from 901 patients from Monday.

Of those hospitalized Tuesday, 175 were in intensive or critical care (up 6 from Monday) and 142 were on ventilators (the same as Monday). There were 70 coronavirus patients discharged across all 71 hospitals Monday, according to the state’s coronavirus tracking website.

While officials say hospital numbers have remained relatively stable, despite some daily increases, the rising transmission rate is a cause for concern.

Officials say increase is because of a mix of factors — including more indoor activity that has reopened recently in New Jersey, as well as travelers bringing the virus from other states.

Murphy announced Tuesday the Garden State has added Delaware, Kansas, and Oklahoma to the list of states from which travelers should self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New Jersey, including Garden State residents returning home. The list now includes 19 states.

New Jersey’s daily positivity rate — the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in a single day — was 3.23% this past Saturday, the most recent date available. The rate has hovered around 2% lately.

Murphy said one reason for the increase may be because Saturday was July 4 and there were a low number of tests administered on the holiday. But he said but officials will still “keep an eye on it.”

Officials have said the transmission rate and daily positivity rate are the two most important metrics determining how the state is managing the spread and how more restrictions can be lifted.

New Jersey is currently in Stage 2 of its multiphase reopening plan after months of lockdowns to fight the virus. But Murphy said with that transmission rising, it’s unlikely he’ll allow more businesses and services to reopen in the coming days.

“We’re gonna be in a holding pattern for the time being,” he said. “If we have to go back, we will. I hope we don’t.”

New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, still ranks second among U.S. states in total COVID-19 deaths, but it is now fifth in total cases.

There have now been more than 1.57 million tests conducted in New Jersey since the start of the outbreak.

The total number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey is cumulative and does not reflect the thousands of residents who have recovered. More than 30,700 residents in the state have recovered from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Officials say increases in new deaths and positive tests may produce total figures that don’t match the previous day’s numbers because the state is constantly investigating and re-evaluating cases.

Officials also stressed Wednesday that not all new deaths reported have occurred in the last 24 hours. Dr. Edward Lifshitz, director of the state Department of Health’s communicable disease service, said this is a “complicated press” and “all the state’s numbers are “preliminary and can change.” Plus, Lifshitz said, it could take up to a year and a half until death certificates are final.

BIG PUSH ON MASKS

People in New Jersey have been required since early April to wear masks when in a public indoor space, like a store or eatery. Masks outdoors has been only strongly recommended.

But Murphy said he’s now expanding the order to include the outdoors because New Jersey has seen “a backslide” in people wearing masks as the weather has warmed and because of the state’s rising transmission rate.

Murphy said people will not have to wear masks if they’re walking outside alone or with their family and aren’t in a big crowd or standing close to others. But he said it’s “absolutely vital” for people to mask up if they’re in a large gathering and can’t keep at least 6 feet away from others.

Under the order, you also don’t have to wear a mask if you’re eating or drinking outdoors at a restaurant or bar, a face covering endangers your health and safety, or you’re playing youth sports. Children under the age of 2 are also exempt.

“Wearing a face covering is not about politics,” Murphy said. “It’s about, quite simply, being sick or being healthy. It’s about life and death. It’s about showing others that you care about their health.”

Murphy admitted this will be difficult to enforce and did not specifically say what penalty violators would face or who would enforce the order. He said there will be more details when his executive order is officially released to the public, likely later Wednesday.

NUMBERS BY COUNTY

Here are the latest county-by-county breakdowns of confirmed cases and fatalities as of early Wednesday, according to the state’s tracking website:

  • Bergen County: 19,732 cases, with 1,749 confirmed deaths and 261 probable deaths
  • Hudson County: 19,024 cases, with 1,295 confirmed deaths and 167 probable deaths
  • Essex County: 18,920 cases, with 1,805 confirmed deaths and 241 probable deaths
  • Passaic County: 16,978 cases, with 1,057 confirmed deaths and 147 probable deaths
  • Middlesex County: 16,956 cases, with 1,152 confirmed deaths and 196 probable deaths
  • Union County: 16,443 cases, with 1,155 confirmed deaths and 175 probable deaths
  • Ocean County: 9,753 cases, with 918 confirmed deaths and 68 probable deaths
  • Monmouth County: 9,362 cases, with 729 confirmed deaths and 96 probable deaths
  • Mercer County: 7,751 cases, with 552 confirmed deaths and 43 probable deaths
  • Camden County: 7,573 cases, with 487 confirmed deaths and 51 probable deaths
  • Morris County: 6,854 cases, with 663 confirmed deaths and 147 probable deaths
  • Burlington County: 5,306 cases, with 403 confirmed deaths and 38 probable deaths
  • Somerset County: 4,950 cases, with 457 confirmed deaths and 80 probable deaths
  • Cumberland County: 3,030 cases, with 136 confirmed deaths and 13 probable deaths
  • Atlantic County: 2,962 cases, with 210 confirmed deaths and 14 probable deaths
  • Gloucester County: 2,691 cases, with 185 confirmed deaths and 7 probable deaths
  • Warren County: 1,262 cases, with 153 confirmed deaths and 11 probable deaths
  • Sussex County: 1,219 cases, with 157 confirmed deaths and 37 probable deaths
  • Hunterdon County: 1,091 cases, with 69 confirmed deaths and 55 probable deaths
  • Salem County: 808 cases, with 72 confirmed deaths and 5 probable deaths
  • Cape May County: 718 cases, with 72 confirmed deaths and 4 probable deaths

There are another 656 positive cases that remain under investigation, with the patients’ home counties not confirmed.

About 1.3 million Garden State residents have filed for unemployment benefits as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy. But the number of workers who filed last week dropped by 15%.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, more than 11.88 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 across the globe, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. Of those, more than 545,300 have died, while more than 6.48 million have recovered.

There have been more than 131,520 deaths in the United States.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.