Gov. Phil Murphy says nearly 1,900 people likely died of COVID-19 in New Jersey, but were not initially counted in the state’s death toll. About a third of the probable deaths are from long-term care facilities.

At a Thursday news conference, Gov. Murphy says the deaths will now be counted in the death toll.

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The governor says state health officials recently completed a review of thousands of death certificates of people who died with coronavirus symptoms despite not having been tested. He says the people likely died from COVID-19. The total amounted to 1,854 people, or about 14% of the overall death toll.

"What we're reporting today is a number that is going to vary, this is not a static number,” says Dr. Edward Lifshitz, medical director of the Department of Health. “Some of those people who we're now calling probable, further investigation might show they're confirmed. More people will be added to this probable list as time goes on, but we're not expecting these huge jumps thousands of people reported at once."

The new probable numbers will be reported once a week, and will be added to the confirmed death totals.

The combined death toll of those confirmed with the virus and suspected cases stands at 14,872.

AP wire services helped contribute to this report.