23 NEW COVID-19 POSITIVE CASES REPORTED IN MONROE TOWNSHIP OVER THE WEEKEND: 10 CASES SATURDAY AND 13 CASES SUNDAY

STATE ANNOUNCES LONG TERM CARE FACILITY DEATHS  

COVID-19 Cases received Saturday, April 18:  New positive cases 10 

COVID-19 Cases received Sunday, April 19:  New positive cases 13

LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY STATE REPORTING:Today, the State of New Jersey formally released, for the first time, detailed statistics of COVID-19 for 425 nursing homes and health care facilities.  The list released includes the number of coronavirus cases and deaths reported by these facilities. It is with great sadness that we share the passing of 37 long term care residents in Monroe. Additionally, the state reports 137 COVID-19 positive cases within the facilities.  See northjersey.com article here.  

Since early March when our OEM began to prepare for the pandemic, one of our primary focuses was how this would impact the privately-owned long-term care facilities. We met with the directors from the facilities, coordinating efforts and reviewing the precautions that each location would be instituting.  

Rates of infection and COVID 19-related deaths are alarming within the long-term care industry across the country.  It is important that we as a Monroe community, a county, a state, and a country recognize the magnitude of the challenges at these facilities.   We have delivered thousands of gowns, masks, gloves, and sanitizers to these private facilities.  In early April, Mayor Tamburro reached out to the Governor, State Commissioner of Health, Long Term Care Ombudsman and the CEO’s of facilities to demand these private facilities get the resources they need and share real-time information with their residents, family members and staff.  With today’s announcement, the State places a much-needed light on a critical issue.    

Any family members who have questions about COVID-19 activity at any facility should call the facility directly to obtain information. There is also a Long-Term Care Facilities Hotline managed by the State Department of Health, which can be reached at 1-800-792-9770.

MESSAGE FROM MAYOR TAMBURRO:

 “I am truly heart-broken to share with you that 37 residents living in private long-term care facilities in Monroe have passed away as a result of the Covid-19 virus.  I speak for the entire Monroe community in sharing our sympathy and our deep sense of loss and pain.  The families of these residents tragically join so many others across the country who are unable to gather to grieve their losses.  As a community, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”

STATE AND NJDOH STATISTICS:  

• 6,986 people are hospitalized with the virus or suspicion of it. Of those, 2,018 are in critical care and 1,594 on ventilators.
• 74 patients are at one of our field medical stations
• 583 New Jerseyans discharged from hospitals
• New Jersey Office of Emergency Management has distributed more than 10 million pieces of PPE from the state stockpile that we’ve been able to put together. Over the last week alone, we moved nearly 5 million pieces – including nearly 900,000 N95 masks, 1.3 million surgical masks & more than 2.6 million gloves.
• Governor Murphy said that re-opening benchmarks for New Jersey will be announced this week. He warns again of the second wave - the boomerang wave - he calls it.

DO YOU NEED TO BE TESTED?  MyInstaDoc, 298 Applegarth Road (Pictured left):  DRIVE-THRU TUESDAY, APRIL 26.  The facility will serve pre-registered patients only from 9am – 1pm and drive-up patients from 1pm – 3:30pm.  Testing will continue on Thursday, April 23.  Pre-register at www.myinstadocmonroe.com or call 609-207-3220.