Nicholas Costa, center, a first grade student at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark reacts during a COVID-19 throat swab test as his mother, Analisa Branco,watches.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
By Avalon Zoppo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
New Jersey reported another 5,095 cases of the coronavirus and 51 additional confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Christmas Day, while the statewide transmission rate fell further below the key benchmark of 1.
Gov. Phil Murphy has urged residents to keep gatherings small with only people in their immediate family bubble during Christmas and New Years celebrations to avoid a surge following the holidays.
“Stay safe as you we celebrate the holidays. Social distance. Mask up,” Murphy said in a tweet Friday.
The state had reported 80 additional deaths on Thursday.
The statewide rate of transmission dropped for the 12th straight day, from 0.96 to 0.95,the lowest it’s been since Sept. 2.
Any number over 1 means each person who gets COVID-19 is spreading the disease to more than one person, and getting the rate below 1 is considered key to suppressing the pandemic.
Statewide hospitalizations dropped to 3,669 patients being treated for confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases as of Thursday night. That’s much lower than the more than 8,000 patients at the peak of the first wave in April. Hospitalizations have hovered above 3,500 since Dec. 8.
The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care rose to 753 from 749, and the number on ventilators remained the same at 524.
The seven-day average for daily new cases increased Friday to 4,597. That’s down 4% from a week ago, but up 12% from a month ago.
Officials say the largest percentage of recent new cases — more than 60% — are a result of transmission in private settings and are coming from all over the state.
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