Murphy: NJ Takes Steps As Ocean County's COVID Cases Skyrocket

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ — A spike in the number of positive cases of the coronavirus in Ocean County has prompted state officials and local leaders to take a number of steps to bring the renewed outbreak under control.

"This virus is a virus of opportunity, and when we let our guard down, we give it the opportunity to rush in," Gov. Phil Murphy said during a roundtable at the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management in Bayville, where state, county and local leaders met to discuss the recent increases. "Today is about working together to close the window of opportunity."

For more than two weeks, Ocean County has posted the highest numbers of new cases in the state, and Friday was no different. State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said of 796 new cases statewide, 190 were in Ocean. The county has a positivity rate of 15.85 percent, she said, far exceeding any other county in New Jersey.

The bulk of the new cases have been in Lakewood, she said; from Sept. 24 to Wednesday, there were 1,214 new cases, and of them, 840 were in Lakewood. The township, which has a positivity rate of 27.82 percent, accounted for 126 of the 190 cases announced Friday. Many of the new infections are among those ages 30 to 49 and 18 to 29, Persichilli said.

Persichilli said Lakewood wasn't the sole area of concern; cases have spiked in Lacey, Stafford and Jackson townships as well, but she didn't provide specific figures.

"The numbers are deeply concerning," Murphy said.

According to the Ocean County Health Department, Lacey has added 24 cases, going from 375 to 399 cases since Sept. 10, when cases began to rise substantially in the county. Stafford has gone from 367 to 388, and Jackson has added more than 200 cases, going from 1,013 to 1,249.

Toms River has risen from 2,000 to 2,212, but was not mentioned by Persichilli.

In Brick, the cases rose from 1,429 to 1,506 and Point Pleasant rose from 295 to 324. Point Beach has added 11 cases, from 38 to 49. Manchester, which had the county's first case back in March, has added 52 cases, going from 897 to 949. Berkeley Township has seen an increase from 843 to 895, and Barnegat has increased from 311 to 339.

Hospitalizations across the state were up, with 528 coronavirus-related patients reported Friday; of those, 98 were in intensive care and 36 were on ventilators. Murphy said hospital officials he spoke with are keeping an eye on it but feel they are more prepared if matters escalate.

The death rate has not shown a marked increase; just four confirmed deaths were part of Murphy's report on Friday.

To address the spike, the state has increased testing and is opening new test sites in Lakewood next week. On Monday and Tuesday the state will be testing at the Lakewood BlueClaws stadium and Wednesday through Friday will be at Lakewood High School.

In addition to state tests, CHEMED Health Center CEO Dr. Dovid Friedman said the center has purchased the rapid tests and is testing between 700 and 800 people a day.

Murphy said the federal government also has offered 2.6 million rapid tests to New Jersey, to be deployed over the next 12 weeks and that a portion of those would be directed to Lakewood.

Hand-in-hand with the testing is increased contact tracing, officials said; 20 additional contact tracers have been in Lakewood working to track the spread and encourage isolation of those infected.

Their investigations so far show the increase isn't tied to a single event, but that large religious services and weddings and funerals where social distancing and mask usage were inconsistent seemed to be behind them.

"What we are seeing in Ocean County is why we cannot become complacent," Murphy said.

Murphy said officials also are using a "bully pulpit" to get the information out to the community, both reminding of the importance to wear masks and social distance, but also to urge people to get tested and to cooperate with the contact tracing. Persichilli said fewer than 50 percent of those called are cooperating.

State Sen. Bob Singer said the medical community in Lakewood has been pushing those messages, and the rabbinical leadership has as well.

Rabbi Avi Schnall said in addition to pushing the messages about testing and masks through more than 100 synagogues, many are setting up tents outside to more safely accommodate worshipers.

Lakewood Councilman Meir Lichtenstein said some rabbinical leaders are organizing groups of people to get tested, to help encourage the process.

Persichilli said that in addition to the need for people to cooperate with contact tracing, those who are positive for the virus need to take every step possible to isolate themselves — a matter she acknowledged is difficult for large, multigenerational households.

She suggested the following:

• Isolate the sick person to one bedroom, where they stay except to use the bathroom and to get food in the kitchen. They need to wear a mask every time they come out of the bedroom, she said.
• Do not eat meals together with the sick person
• Sanitize surfaces frequently, especially in the bathroom
• If they cannot isolate to a single bedroom, try to find another way to accommodate that isolation, especially if there are family members who are at high risk of complications.
• Family members who are at high risk should try to quarantine away from the family if at all possible.

Murphy rebuffed a suggestion that Ocean County would be quarantined — much like other states that have high positivity rates — because it is not feasible.

He also said any suggestion of blame is not acceptable.

"We can be factual about where the hotspots are and what we need to do to drive them to the ground," Murphy said, "but we defend the right of every single community to worship and pursue their faith."

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