NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New Jersey reported 751 more coronavirus cases on Sunday, days after reporting its highest number of new cases since May.
The 751 new cases are a drop from the 1,301 cases reported Thursday but still high compared to numbers reported during much of August and September.
Thursday's 1,301 cases were the most reported in the state in a single day since May 29. Gov. Phil Murphy called it a "sobering number."
Sunday's 751 cases bring the state's total since the pandemic began to 213,628. There were another 901 cases reported Saturday.
According to NJ.com, the state has had an average of 783 new cases each day over the last week—the highest seven-day rolling average since early June. And it has reported over 500 new cases each day for more than two weeks.
At a news conference Thursday, Murphy said the biggest increases in cases have been in Ocean and Monmouth counties.
Ocean County had the most cases on Sunday—139 or more than 18%.
Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said Thursday that most of the positive cases in Ocean County stem from Lakewood, predominantly among white men ages 19-49, and could be related to religious services or celebrations that occurred in late September.
Persichilli said health officials are "anticipating a second wave" to break out if residents don't follow guidelines like social distancing and wearing face coverings.
New Jersey also reported three more COVID deaths on Sunday. The state's death toll is now 14,386.
The state's transmission rate continued to decline to 1.17 on Sunday but is still above 1. A transmission rate above 1 indicates that for every infected person, the virus is spreading to at least one other person on average. The state's transmission rate has been above 1 for over a month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
