NJ adds most COVID cases since April, spread high in all counties

TRENTON – More bad signs about the direction of the pandemic in New Jersey were reported Friday, including the state health department announcing the most COVID cases in a day in four months.

The state reported over 3,200 more cases of COVID-19, including 2,407 confirmed by PCR tests and 832 detected by antigen tests. It has been nearly four months, April 22, since the state last added that many cases in a day.

Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now rates the entire state as having high transmission rates of the coronavirus, the worst on its four-tier system. Sussex County had been the holdout still rated as having substantial spread until Friday’s update, based on Thursday data.

Over the seven days ending Thursday, New Jersey was averaging 1,787 cases a day, a rate of 20.1 per 100,000 residents, its highest since early May but still tenth lowest in the country.

South Jersey is generally seeing the highest case rates, headed by Cape May County at a daily rate averaging 47 per 100,000 residents. The four highest case rates are all along the Shore, advancing from south to north – Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth.

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There were 923 people hospitalized with COVID statewide as of Thursday night, the most since May 14. Of those, 195 were in intensive care and 73 were on ventilators.

Michael Symons is State House bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5. Contact him at michael.symons@townsquaremedia.com.