Field hospital in A.C.; new jobs portal; standardized student tests may be cancelled
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
At 2 p.m. Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy and the commissioner of the state Department of Health gave a public address on how New Jersey is proceeding amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including planning a field hospital in Atlantic City, cancelling standardized student testing and hawking a new jobs portal.
Here are some highlights.
Gov. Murphy:
– The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed its support for four field hospitals in New Jersey. The closest one is at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
– The state applied for a federal waiver to cancel standardized student testing.
– No update on how much longer school will be out. Right now it is until further notice.
– More than $900 million in discretionary spending placed into reserve because of the pandemic.
– The state will soon get a second shipment of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the national stockpile for frontline medical personnel.
– Forcing all private water suppliers to stop shutoffs. “If you don’t voluntarily suspend shutoffs, I will order you to suspend. No New Jerseyan should have to fear losing water service.”
– There is a new jobs portal at covid19.nj.gov where people can find and apply for a new job. “We are the first state in U.S. to do this. Response nothing less than overwhelming. Page visited 88,000 times in first day.” Number of available jobs is increasing. Now more than 12,000 open jobs listed.
– On enforcement front, “to prove there are knuckleheads out there” charges being brought against person who was arguing with Wegman’s employee, coughed on her and told her he had coronavirus then didn’t cooperate with the Manalapan police. Summons issued for terroristic threats, harassment, obstruction. “It demonstrates active law enforcement.”
– FEMA-partnered testing sites remain open. More county sites opening up, but none noted for Cape May or Atlantic counties.
– “Only seek test if you have symptoms. We don’t have capacity or capabilities to test the worried well.” Please allow the tests for people with symptoms to get the tests.
– The state fully expects positive tests to “go up into the many, many thousands” as the testing increases.
– “We can’t flip a light switch here. Takes time to see impact of social distancing. We don’t know when numbers will plateau and decrease. I urge everyone not to be alarmed by number of positive tests.”
– Have patience. “We understand your anxiety. We need you to continue to stay home and do the basic stuff (wash hands, etc.) Practice safe respiratory hygiene and social distancing if you leave home. It can take two weeks for symptoms to show up.
– New Jersey needs to flatten the curve “to let health care system digest the same amount of cases but over a more reasonable amount of time.”
State Health Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli, RN, BSN, MA:
– Of seven laboratories sending their COVID-19 results, of 12,000 tests performed, 3,600 tested positive for a 27 percent positivity rate. That will help in predictive care modeling. Also means majority of results negative. “I want to tell people who test negative but have symptoms to stay at home because they may have another respiratory virus.”
– New Jersey is now the No. 2 state in the nation for positive tests. That in part is due to being aggressive in its testing regime.
– The total number of COVID-19 related deaths is up to 44, including 17 more in the last day, the largest single-day total.
– State was “fully expecting number of positive cases to increase dramatically” as testing increases.” While the numbers are sobering, they are vital data needed to flatten the curve.
– Social distancing is vital to slow process. As seen in other countries such as China and South Korea it can flatten the curve. “Strict enforcement led to dramatic decreases in cases.”
– 35 percent of positive cases have been for people between the ages of 30 and 49; 24 percent of those cases have been hospitalized. A reminder that COVID-19 is not just affecting the elderly. Younger people need to take steps to reduce exposure.
– Still working with vulnerable populations at nursing homes and care facilities. As of Tuesday morning, had at least one confirmed case in 19 of our long-term care facilities. Many of the cases are in the same counties, such as Essex, Monmouth, Bergen, where there are a high number of overall cases.
– Of the 17 new deaths reported, five were in Bergen County alone, three each in Morris and Essex counties, two in Hudson and one each in Monmouth, Camden, Passaic and Union counties.
– Nine of the total deaths associated with long-term care facilities.