We’ve become numb to some of the numbers and statistics involving the COVID-19 pandemic, but Friday marked a tough milestone for both Bergen and Essex counties, as each reported their 50,000th confirmed case.
Bergen County, where the pandemic first took hold in the state, reported 483 new cases, for a cumulative total of 50,486 cases. And, remember this: The county says there are an additional 6,954 probable cases.
Essex County reported 454 new cases, for a cumulative total of 50,328 — with 5,615 probable cases.
How high are these totals? They top the totals for six states in their entirety (New Hampshire, Alaska, Wyoming, Maine, Hawaii and Vermont) as well as Washington, D.C.
Read more from ROI-NJ:
The fatality totals are even grimmer.
Bergen now has 2,101 reported deaths (with 266 more probable) and Essex has 2,170 fatalities (with 255 considered probable). Nineteen states (plus D.C.) have fewer than 2,000 fatalities.
Next up on the case total ranking are Middlesex (48,776) and Hudson (47,326) counties, which likely will top 50,000 in the next week.
The state, meanwhile, reported 5,791 new positive tests, for a cumulative total of 516,608 — and 112 new confirmed fatalities, for a cumulative total of 17,697.
