Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state had 3,877 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday.
And, while the high number was somewhat expected — state officials said a glitch in reporting likely caused Monday’s number (2,043) to be lower than it should have been — there’s no downplaying the total.
The 3,877 number marks the seventh-highest daily case total since the pandemic started. The state has topped 4,000 new cases on only five occasions, led by 4,391 on April 17.
And, while it’s fair to say the state may have missed many cases in the first surge, Tuesday’s total certainly is noteworthy. Murphy, a day after announced a tweaking of restrictions, said the number certainly caught his eye.
“These numbers are devastating,” he tweeted. “We are still in the midst of a pandemic.”
Some will attribute the higher number to more testing — which is true, but there has been more testing for some time. Consider the recent comparisons:
- Two weeks ago (Oct. 27): 1,663 new cases;
- One month ago (Oct. 10): 901;
- Two months ago (Sept. 10): 507;
- Three months ago (Aug. 10): 258.
Remember when we wondered when the state’s seven-day average would top 880, thus making New Jersey eligible for the travel quarantine list? Our seven-day average is now 2,569.
And hospitalizations are up 34% in the past days, rising from 1,224 to 1,645.
