Gov. Phil Murphy says the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 New Jersey residents as 166 new deaths were reported on Saturday.

But there are also positive trends in the latest numbers. The governor says between 10 p.m. Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday there were 364 new patients admitted to the hospital with the virus while 422 recovered patients were discharged.

"Social distancing is working, wearing a face covering is working, washing your hands with soap and water is working," Murphy says.

The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decrease across the state but Murphy says that New Jersey is not out of the woods although a lot of progress has been made.

The governor also expressed disappointment in the rising death tolls in long-term care facilities and nursing homes, which account for more then 4,800 of the state's deaths.

The state attorney general is investigating long-term care facilities statewide, the National Guard has been sent to some facilities and a separate commission will make recommendations for the future. 

State officials did not give out much more information on the 4-year-old who died due to COVID-19 complications Friday.

They say there is no evidence of the Kawasaki virus and that the boy had a significant underlying health condition. New York officials have said three young people have died from a Kawasaki-like illness linked to COVID-19 in the state.

Murphy says more information on contact tracing and mass testing is needed before the state can reopen. He says that information should be coming early next week.

Gov. Phil Murphy and state officials gave an update on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday. 

-Murphy says the state has confirmed another 1,759 positive COVID cases, for a statewide total of 137,085.

 

-The governor spoke about the urgent need for New Jerseyans to respond to the 2020 census.  He says New Jersey was previously undercounted and has "literally left billions" of dollars in federal funding on the table because of it, including for COVID response. "So much rides on an accurate count," he says.

-Murphy thanked the Army Corps of Engineers for its help in COVID response in the state. He also thanked President Trump for answering the call and swiftly sending help.

-"Keep doing what you are doing," Murphy says to New Jerseysans, urging continued social distancing ahead of Mother's Day. He says we need to celebrate responsibly so we can continue to celebrate mothers for years to come.