COURT HOUSE – APRIL 10: At the state’s daily COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Phil Murphy said the number of confirmed cases of the virus climbed by 3,627, with 233 new deaths. The state totals for confirmed cases now stand at 54,588, with 1,932 dead.
The report included 116 total cases in Cape May County and five recorded deaths. The total case count syncs with the numbers reported by the county Department of Health (DOH) during the evening of April 9.
The state has consistently been reporting one more death than is listed on county releases. The difference is over how one individual, with family in Ocean City, is being counted. Herald charts are relying on county provided data and show four deaths attributed to the disease.
Murphy stressed the need for vigilance and continued distancing, as the state heads into the holiday weekend. While the governor was encouraged by small signs of slowing in the rate of infection, he acknowledged that the state has not yet peaked in its total cases. Officials have said they expect a peak in the hospitalizations between April 19 and May 11.
The state reported 7,570 hospitalizations, as of 10 p.m. April 9. Of that number, 1,663 are on ventilators.
Officials warned that the number of confirmed cases may be artificially lowered by a 14-day backlog in obtaining test results. To date, the testing has shown a 44% rate of positive results.
