NJ's 1st Back-To-Back 2K COVID Days Since May As 'Hotspots' ID'd

NEW JERSEY - New Jersey had its first back-to-back days with more than 2,000 positive tests since the beginning of May, and health officials said they were taking steps to help reduce the spread.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said "hotspot" teams were being deployed to nine counties as more than 6,000 new cases were tallied over the last three days

"This virus has not taken a break and we cannot either," she said.

Those counties are: Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union. They'll be specifically focused on Atlantic City, Lakewood, Elizabeth and Newark, as well as several colleges: Rutgers, Rowan and Monmouth universities.

Persichilli said the hotspot teams were deployed to work with health departments to reduce transmission and examine trends and testing practices.

They'll also collaborate with county health departments for further investigation of cases and study metrics, such as positivity rates and the number of people tested. They'll also look at school cases and review trends there.

Murphy noted that Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties clocked more than 200 daily positives while Camden, Hudson, Monmouth and Union had over 100. Thursday's tally of 2,104 positive cases brings the cumulative COVID-19 total to 247,219.

There were also 12 new reported COVID-19 deaths for a statewide total of 14,603. After months of hospitalizations hovering around 200, New Jersey had 1,224 hospitalizations with 238 individuals in critical care on Thursday.

Out of those in critical care, there are 36 percent on ventilators. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ's Second Wave Of The Coronavirus Is Here

The reporting metrics also changed Thursday, as now the timeline stretched from Aug. 1 through the present. Under the new timeframe New Jersey is showing a 7.74 daily positivity rate and a 1.26 rate of transmission.

If there is good news, Murphy noted, it is that there is a low rate of in-school transmission since districts opened about two months ago.

"There are 36 cases of in school transmission 146 individuals," Murphy said, noting that Camden County set the high watermark at six.

Murphy also said that the curve is trending upwards again and that masking, handwashing, social distancing and common sense are still key factors in public health.

"These things crushed the curve once and can do it again," he said. "But only if we all make that commitment."

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

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