NJ's COVID-19 death toll climbs by 379, biggest spike yet
Trenton. New Jersey has had 4,753 deaths from the virus.
| 23 Apr 2020 | 01:26
New Jersey's COVID-19 death toll saw its biggest spike yet, climbing by 379 deaths, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday.
The spike comes as the number of new cases has been leveling off, the first-term Democrat said at a news conference.
New Jersey has had 4,753 deaths from the virus.
More than 92,000 cases, up from about 89,000, according to the governor.
That means more than 1% of the state's population tested positive for the virus.
Despite some positive signs, like the leveling off of cases and the increasing time it takes for the number of people with COVID-19 to double, Murphy said there are still weeks to go of social distancing.
``We cannot rush to reopen anything and risk undoing all the extraordinary work you've done so far,'' Murphy said.
A look at other developments:
New Jersey's credit rating was downgraded on Tuesday by Fitch Ratings.
The change could make it harder for the state to borrow money as it confronts an expected shortfall in revenue stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Murphy said the downgrade brings Fitch in line with the other two credit-rating agencies, but said ``you never want to see a downgrade.''
Nursing homes
The virus continues to rip through the state's nursing homes. Data posted online by the state from long-term care facilities shows there have been 2,048, up 14% from the previous day.
Officials have said they believe all of the state's roughly 400 facilities have at least one positive coronavirus case.
Murphy’s approval soars
A new poll from Monmouth University out Tuesday showed the governor's approval rating climbing by 30 points.
The governor's job approval rating climbed to 71% up from 41% in September. Murphy's disapproval rating also shrank, from 38% in September to 21% in the latest survey.
The poll was conducted by telephone from April 16 to 19 with 704 New Jersey adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
New field hospital
Murphy also on Tuesday toured the state's third and newest field hospital to open during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Atlantic City Convention Center field hospital is aimed at alleviating pressure on local hospitals and will treat non-coronavirus patients in 258 beds. Rows of one-bed units line the Convention Center floor, and the hospital also includes an on-site pharmacy and lab testing center.
The U.S. Army Corps of engineers and the state have already opened two other similar field hospitals, a 250-bed facility in Secaucus and a 500-bed pop-up site in Edison.
Murphy, a Democrat, has said the state would need to ramp up testing beyond just symptomatic people before reopening its economy.
New Jersey has 92,000 positive COVID-19 cases and 4,753 deaths.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
- Associated Press