What to Know
- New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has toured the state’s third and newest field hospital to open during the novel coronavirus 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.
- New Jersey's COVID-19 death toll saw its biggest spike yet, climbing by 379 deaths, Murphy said Tuesday. New Jersey has reported at least 4,753 COVID-19-related deaths in all and at least 92,387 coronavirus cases.
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 and more than 92,000 cases, up from about 89,000.
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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 Field Hospital
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.
Murphy said that the A.C. site, the third in the state, has even more "sophistication" than earlier field medical centers set up in Secaucus in the north and Edison in the central part of the state.
The first patients could arrive at the convention center as early as Tuesday afternoon, tour guides told Murphy.
So far, the northern half of the state has been hardest hit by the deadly virus, but the southern counties have all had multiple deaths reported. The Atlantic City facility will help with extra hospital beds as a surge in patients could come to the southern part of New Jersey.
"We need the capacity," Murphy said about the A.C. facility.
As of Tuesday, 7,594 people were hospitalized in New Jersey. An increase from the previous day where Murphy touted the decrease as putting the health care system in a better place. More than 900 people were in intensive care units.
Free Flights for Those Who Want to Help
On Tuesday, Murphy announced that United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are starting to offer free round-trip flights to health care workers coming to New Jersey to help with COVID-19 treatment.
New Jersey has set up a volunteer link for those who want to help.
Murphy's Approval Rating 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.
COVID-19 Symptoms
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.
