Gov. Murphy: NJ's Second Wave Of The Coronavirus Is Here

NEW JERSEY - Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed that the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit New Jersey, noting that the state is continuing an “aggressive program” to source the personal protective equipment needed for a strong three-month inventory in the state’s strategic stockpile.

Murphy has not favored reversals of reopenings, but he is now urging New Jersey to double down on the practices that helped flatten the curve of the outbreak throughout the spring and last summer.

Murphy made the announcement at a Thursday news conference as he revealed 1,477 new cases and eight more deaths. It was the first time New Jersey had 12 consecutive days of 1,000 cases or more since April 30-May 11 (See list of cases below).

“The second wave of the coronavirus is no longer something off in the future. It is coming and it is coming now,” Murphy said. “We have been seeing the number of new cases grow exponentially across the past several weeks, and along with that, the numbers of patients being treated in our hospitals has similarly been on the rise.

Murphy urged New Jerseyans to show the “level of vigilance” shown at the beginning of the pandemic in order to beat the latest wave. His recommendations include:

• Social distancing
• Washing hands with soap and water frequently
• Using hand sanitizer
• Wearing a face mask

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

“After eight months, I understand, you understand that we are all suffering from pandemic fatigue,” Murphy said. “But this virus has been waiting for us to get lax in our personal responsibilities so that it can come roaring back.

"And in particular, we’re seeing many of the cases linked to small gatherings in private homes where folks are more apt to let their guard down, especially in not social distancing.”

In his remarks, Murphy also noted that the state is building capabilities in three key areas: PPE, testing and contact tracing. The latest spot positivity rate was at 6.54 percent and that the total number of COVID-19 positive cases was 234,547. The rate of transmission is 1.25.

There are 217 new individuals in critical care, with 36 percent of those patients on ventilators. There are no new reports of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children. There are a total of 60 cases in New Jersey from ages 1 to 18.

At state veterans homes and psychiatric hospitals, the numbers remained the same.

North Jersey is reporting a positivity rate of 6.76 while Central Jersey reports a positivity rate of 6.85. South Jersey reports a positivity rate of 5.66.

“We knew we would need to have PPE at the ready and capable of being deployed when the second wave arrived. Well, here we are,” Murphy added.

About 5.7 million N95 masks are currently listed in the state’s stockpile, with the addition of 1.6 million expected to be received in the next 30 days. 82 million pieces of PPE have been distributed statewide to date.

“While we have come a long way, we will not let up in our pursuit to ensure that we have the PPE required for this wave and to build a stockpile for the pandemic to come,” Murphy said.

New Jersey reported 14,539 confirmed deaths since the pandemic began.

Murphy has issued guidance for New Jersey for small gatherings amid the coronavirus crisis. Here's what that means. Read more: Start Planning For Small Holiday Gatherings, Murphy Says

Here is a look at new coronavirus cases by day since Sept. 29:

• October 29: 1,477
• October 28: 1,682
• October 27: 1,663
• October 26: 1,223
• October 25: 1,140
• October 24: 1,994
• October 23: 1,139
• October 22: 1,182
• October 21: 1,062
• October 20: 1,036
• October 19: 1,192
• October 18: 1,282
• October 17: 958
• October 16: 823
• October 15: 973
• October 14: 953
• October 13: 993
• October 12: 478
• October 11: 751
• October 10: 901
• October 9: 881
• October 8: 1,301
• October 7: 514
• October 6: 651
• October 5: 522
• October 4: 637
• October 3: 957
• October 2: 796
• October 1: 663
• September 30: 722
• September 29: 505