New Jersey’s most recent rate of transmission — a key metric the state is using to determine how to further lift coronavirus restrictions — is 1.32 for the second day in a row, down slightly from 1.41 reported on Tuesday.
By Matt Arco and Brent Johnson NJ.com
New Jersey on Thursday reported eight more deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 411 more positive tests as the state’s rate of transmission decreased slightly again but stayed above the critical benchmark that shows the virus is expanding.
The Garden State has now announced 15,849 lab-confirmed and probable deaths related to COVID-19, with 183,701 total cases, since the outbreak here began March 4.
Of those deaths, 13,996 are confirmed by lab results, while 1,853 are considered probable.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the new figures on Twitter. He did not hold a public briefing Thursday.
Murphy also did not say when the eight newly reported deaths occurred.
Thursday marks the 28th straight day New Jersey has reported fewer than 50 new deaths in one day and the sixth straight day it has reported fewer than 15. It also marks the sixth straight day the state has announced fewer than 500 new cases after seeing sudden upticks late last month.
New Jersey’s most recent rate of transmission — a key metric the state is using to determine how to further lift coronavirus restrictions — is 1.23, down slightly from 1.32 reported on Wednesday.
The transmission rate hit a four-month high Sunday, at 1.49. That’s well above the key benchmark of 1, which means each new case is leading to more than one additional infection and the virus is spreading.
The rate had been below 1 for weeks during the strictest parts of New Jersey’s coronavirus lockdowns but had fluctuated above and below 1 in July as the state took more reopening steps.
The rate has dropped incrementally each day this week.
But Murphy said Friday the rising rate was “setting off alarms that we take very seriously.” And the most recent spike rate prompted him on Monday to lower limits on indoor gatherings in New Jersey to 25% with a maximum of 25 people, with exceptions for weddings, funerals, and religious and political events. Up to this point, there could be indoor gatherings of up to 25% of a building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people.
