Berkeley Up To 100 Reported Coronavirus Deaths

BERKELEY, NJ — The Ocean County Health Department reported Berkeley's 100th coronavirus death Tuesday.

The OCHD has reported 724 total cases in Berkeley as of Tuesday. The department has not released statistics regarding the number of patients who have "recovered" or been cleared off quarantine.

County officials first released municipal death tolls for COVID-19 on April 22, when Berkeley's stood at 41. Four other Ocean County towns have death tolls exceeding 100: Lakewood (185), Manchester (151), Toms River (142) and Brick (135).

The coronavirus has significantly impacted Berkeley's nursing homes. State officials have reported 74 cases and 25 deaths among residents at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center. Officials have also reported 33 cases and four deaths at Tallwoods Care Center.

Ocean County, as a whole, has seen a gradual decline in newly reported coronavirus cases since the peak of the pandemic. The OCHD reported 19 new cases Tuesday, bringing the county to 9,716 cases and 914 deaths.

Coronavirus is spreading in a "slow and controlled fashion" in Ocean County, according to the Covid ActNow group. Ocean County was listed in the medium level of COVID-19 risk as of Sunday.

"Ocean County’s COVID preparedness meets international standards," the report says. "If this trend continues, Ocean County may eventually achieve herd immunity, though this may take years."

This update comes as New Jersey is no longer on track to contain the coronavirus as infection numbers surge to record new highs across the country, according to the study from researchers and epidemiologists. Read more: NJ No Longer On Track To Contain Coronavirus, Study Shows

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Last week, the state was one of only three in the nation that looked likely to get the virus under control as it went from being, along with New York, the world's COVID-19 epicenter to having among the lowest daily diagnoses in the nation, according to a group of epidemiologists tracking the outbreak.

In Ocean County, the infection rate was 0.92. Any number below one indicates that the virus is spreading in a controlled fashion, according to the report.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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