By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
New Jersey on Saturday reported seven more deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 464 new cases as the rate of transmission ticked up slightly but stayed below a key mark that shows how disease is spreading.
Of the newly reported deaths, two occurred Tuesday, two on Aug. 8, one on Aug. 7, and one on July 31, Gov. Phil Murphy said as he announced the new figures on Twitter.
The Garden State’s death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 15,910 — 14,071 confirmed and 1,839 considered probable — in more than five months since the first case was reported March 4.
The state has announced 187,442 positive tests since the outbreak began out of more than 2.4 million tests administered in the state so far.
The governor said Friday that the state’s numbers “look very good,” though there was a bump in new cases this week.
The state on Saturday reported its latest transmission rate was 0.94, a slight increase after holding steady at 0.92 for three consecutive days.
Any number above 1 means each newly infected person is spreading the virus to at least one other person, on average. Anything below 1 means the outbreak is shrinking. 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.
Saturday marks the 15th straight day New Jersey — an early coronavirus hotspot — has reported fewer than 15 deaths.
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