The State of New Jersey, with a population of 8.82 million people, has now confirmed more than 100,000 positive test results for coronavirus in the state.
The statewide count of cases now stands at 102,196, according to data released by the Department of Health today. The number of deaths in the state related to Covid-19 stands at 5,617.
Mercer County’s positive test result count stands at 2,991 as of today, with 163 reported deaths. Among New Jersey’s 21 counties, Mercer has the 10th most cases and 11th most deaths (Somerset County has fewer cases, but more reported fatalities.)
There may be some good news on the hospitalization front for New Jersey with regard to the virus.
Data supplied by the state on hospital occupancy rates appears to show that hospital capacity peaked on April 14, when 8,293 people in the state were reportedly hospitalized. As of 10 p.m. on April 22, that number had dropped to 7,240, and it dropped a further 393 to 6,847 last night, the largest one-day drop since the peak.
The number of people on ventilators in New Jersey has also been trending downward, from a peak of 1,705 on April 14 to 1,487 as of yesterday. Availability of beds in critical care and intensive care units has also been improving since mid-April.
The state also continues to update its database of long-term-care facilities affected by Covid-19. The state counts 452 facilities that have reported outbreaks, affecting 14,579 individuals. The state reports that 1,652 of its 5,617 coronavirus-related deaths, or 29.4%, have occurred at long-term-care facilities, with a further 1,044 cases suspected.
The state reports that in Mercer County, 22 facilities have been affected, accounting for a combined 726 cases and 128 deaths. However, there are some inconsistencies in the reporting. For one thing, the state lists Atrium Post Acute Care as a Mercer facility, when it in fact is in Plainsboro.
Facility-by-facility data has not been updated as frequently by the state as the overall numbers.
As for numbers in each of Mercer County’s 12 municipalities, the county usually aggregates data from each town’s health department, but the figures have not been updated since April 21, when Trenton had the most cases reported, 729.
