Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday said that the day’s COVID-19 data released by the state Department of Health is “alarming.”
The department confirmed 5,370 new positive cases of the virus, along with 68 additional deaths. The rate of transmission ticked up to 1.12.
Officials say that there are 3,545 COVID-19 patients in New Jersey’s hospitals – 664 are in the ICU and 412 are on ventilators.
Bergen County had the highest number of new cases at 535.
“These numbers are alarming. We need to hang on a little longer,” Murphy wrote on Twitter. “Mask up. Social distance. Stay informed.”
New Jersey is potentially just days away from receiving doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.