4 More Coronavirus Deaths In Ocean As County Exceeds 300 Cases

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Four more Ocean County residents have died from the effects of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced on Wednesday. A total of 18 additional deaths statewide were reported during the state's news conference.

That is five Ocean County residents who have died from the virus under figures released by the state during Gov. Phil Murphy's daily coronavirus briefing. The first death in the county was a man in his 70s, which was reported March 19.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 4,402 positive tests for COVID-19 in New Jersey, and 62 people have died from it, Persichilli said. The Ocean County Health Department count released later Wednesday afternoon reported 321 cases in the county.

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Persichilli did not release specifics on the Ocean County deaths, but she said of the 18 people who had died between Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 were men and seven were women. Half had underlying health issues including lung diseases and diabetes.

The Ocean County Health Department's update, released at 4:30 p.m., showed an increase of more than 50 percent in the number of positive cases, from the 200 reported Tuesday. Murphy said part of the increase in the positive cases across New Jersey is due to the state's aggressive testing, including the opening of the two free drive-through testing sites.

Numbers released by the Ocean County Health Department for COVID-19 cases are higher than the state total because the county updates later in the day.

Among the county cases, Lakewood saw the largest surge, from 84 on Tuesday to 141 on Wednesday. There were 40 cases identified in Toms River, 35 in Jackson, 22 in Brick, 17 in Berkeley, 13 in Point Pleasant, 11 in Manchester, 10 in Barnegat, 10 in Lacey, five in Stafford, three in Little Egg Harbor, three in Plumsted, two in Long Beach Township and one each in Barnegat Light, Bay Head, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Park, Ship Bottom, South Toms River and Surf City in the Wednesday update.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.

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