Transmission rate increases again, to just below key mark
By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
With an unusual new school year kicking off and indoor dining a day away from returning, New Jersey on Thursday reported nine more deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 455 new cases — the first time in more than two weeks the state has reported more than 400 positive tests in a single day.
“That’s another data point that (shows) we’re not out of the woods yet,” Gov. Phil Murphy said while announcing the latest numbers during an unrelated event in Iselin.
At the same time, the state’s rate of transmission ticked up for the sixth straight day, with the latest mark sitting at 0.99 — just below the critical benchmark of 1, which determines whether the outbreak is expanding or shrinking.
Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count
Murphy did not detail when the newly reported deaths occurred.
The new figures come a day before the six-month mark since the Garden State announced its first COVID-19 case.
In that time, the state has reported just under 193,000 positive tests out of more than 2.9 million administered tests. That’s the eighth-most cases in the U.S.
Out of those, New Jersey has reported 15,971 deaths related to the virus — 14,188 lab-confirmed and 1,783 considered probable. That’s the second-most coronavirus deaths in the country.
More than 33,900 residents have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University, though that number is likely much higher.
New Jersey’s latest transmission rate is up from 0.96 announced Tuesday. The number has increased incrementally in recent days after declining for more than a week.
Any number above 1 means each newly infected person, on average, is spreading the virus to at least one other person. Any number below 1 means the virus is decreasing.
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