TRENTON (WCBS 880) — New Jersey continues to keep an eye on the rising number of coronavirus cases as the Health Commissioner on Wednesday reported the death of a 7-month-old who tested positive for the virus posthumously.
Gov. Phil Murphy in recent days has raised alarm over the growing number of cases in the state, which he claims has been caused be a rise in indoor parties.
The troubling statistics prompted the governor to tighten the rules on indoor gatherings, dropping capacity from a maximum of 100 people to just 25 people. He says he fears more deaths could come if the virus continues to spread.
On Wednesday, the state reported a total of eight new coronavirus deaths, bringing the statewide total to 13,989. Heath Commissioner Judy Persichilli elaborated on the statistics, noting the 7-month-old would be the youngest COVID-19 death reported in New Jersey.
Sadly, we must report an additional confirmed eight #COVID19 deaths.Of these, three have occurred since August 1st.There were five in-hospital deaths reported yesterday, but they’re still pending lab confirmation and are not included in our totals. pic.twitter.com/8ZQdVowkPv
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 5, 2020
“For privacy reasons, the department is not releasing any further information on this tragic loss,” the health commissioner said. “Our thoughts are with the family.”
On Wednesday, more than 183,000 people in New jersey had tested positive for the virus and the governor noted the rate of transmission – the number of people infected by a person with the virus – was still too high.
“Our Rt is still too high, meaning coronavirus continues to spread TOO QUICKLY and TOO WIDELY across New Jersey. We need to get this number back below 1,” Murphy wrote on Twitter.
☑️Spot positivity rate for tests from August 1st was 2.57%☑️Rate of transmission sits at 1.32Our Rt is still too high, meaning coronavirus continues to spread TOO QUICKLY and TOO WIDELY across New Jersey. We need to get this number back below 1. pic.twitter.com/yJUpI6TA6x
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 5, 2020
AirBnB has also stepped up by deleting a number of listings suspected of being used as “party mansions.”
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