PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — COVID-19 numbers are increasing in communities up and down New Jersey, and Gov. Phil Murphy is concerned about a rise in hospitalizations.
Ocean County saw an increase in cases and the test positivity rate is nearly 15% there. Murphy said hospitalizations in the state are over 500 for the first time in a while. This, he said, reinforces the fact that people still need to remain vigilant.
"Folks, we are still in the thick of the fight, and the basic stuff is all that we have," he implored.
"In the absence of a therapeutic, in the absence of a vaccine — it's social distancing, it's face masks, it's washing hands with soap and water."
Murphy encouraged everyone to download the state's COVID Alert NJ app, which shares data with health officials from New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware to tackle the virus collaboratively. The governor insisted your personal information is safe.
"The more phones that have the app, the better we can fight this pandemic," he said.
Murphy announced 957 new coronavirus cases Saturday, raising New Jersey's total to 207,576. He also reported four additional deaths. The state has seen 14,348 deaths to date.
The virus still has a hard economic impact. 27,000 people in the state filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, which is up about 10% from the prior week.
