9 NEW COVID-19 POSITIVE CASES REPORTED ON THURSDAY

5 IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES AND 4 COMMUNITY-WIDE

COVID-19 Cases received Thursday, May 7:  New positive cases 9 

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all the special Monroe Township moms. Whether you have young children at home or grown adult children with children of their own, your key concern is to keep them safe, healthy and happy – and I share in that concern.

The unique circumstances we find ourselves in with this current health crisis may find your ever so important role as “mom” expanding to beyond what you ever thought possible.  You also likely find yourself explaining these new circumstances to young children who may not entirely understand or you may be consoling an older child who wants to go to prom and walk the stage at graduation. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, you’re doing a great job juggling it all.

For those of you who find yourself separated from your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, I understand how hard these times are and I want to encourage you to visit with them electronically or call.  But please, for your own safety, remember to keep safe social distances.

Just as I said in my Easter and Passover messages, the more we practice social distancing now, the sooner we all will be back together again.  We could not get through this health crisis without our moms.  We appreciate you and wish you a day filled with love and happiness.”  -- Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro

STATE AND NJDOH STATISTICS:  

• As of 10 p.m. last night:4,605 residents hospitalized for COVID-19.This is a decrease of 1,000 from last Friday.  
• 1,439 patients in either critical or intensive care.76% of ICU patients are on ventilators. 1,089 ventilators currently in use. 
• 261,869 tests performed, 102,846 positive, positivity rate is 39.27%
• 514 LTC facilities with COVID-19 cases; 25,254 COVID-19 cases in these facilities
• Of 8,952 deaths in NJ, 4,691 linked to long-term care facilities.LTC facilities now 52.4% of all deaths.
• Our COVID-19 testing sites at Bergen Community College and PNC Arts Center will now provide tests to ASYMPTOMATIC New Jersey residents.Expanded access to testing is one of our key principles for getting New Jersey on the road back to restart and recovery.
• “Cannot overstate this enough: Our hospital systems are still dealing with far more patients than they would be otherwise in any other year,” said Governor Murphy.“The stress on our health care system, while certainly lessening, is still there.We have the power to push these numbers down further.”

MONROE TOWNSHIP STATISTICS:  The following is a summary of the Monroe Township COVID-19 case data received from Middlesex County from March 14 to April 30. (Recovery data is not available at this time.)
TOTAL CASES: 578 as of May 7
MEN: 256 (44%) with an average age of 57 years old
WOMEN: 322 (56%) with an average age of 67 years old  

FDA APPROVES HOME SALIVA CORONAVIRUS TEST DEVELOPED BY RUTGERS:  A much-heralded saliva test for the coronavirus developed at a Rutgers University lab has gained federal approval and will allow people to collect their own test samples at home and send them out to be processed. The Food and Drug Administration late Thursday approved an amended emergency use authorization for Rutgers’ RUCDR Infinite Biologics allows the expansion of the saliva tests well beyond official collection locations.  Read the full NJ.com article here.

NJ CORONAVIRUS DATA; INFECTION RATES CONTINUE TO DROP; SOCIAL DISTANCING STILL CRITICALLY IMPORTANT:  A little more than nine weeks into the state’s outbreak, the death toll from the coronavirus in New Jersey rose to at least 8,952 residents Friday, with officials reporting the state has seen at least 135,454 cases overall.  Gov. Phil Murphy said rate of infection and hospitalizations from the virus continue to drop, trends that has been notable during the past few days. But to keep the downward curve continuing, Murphy has been urging residents to continue practicing social distancing.  “We’re making huge progress, but we’re not in the end zone yet,” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus press briefing in Trenton. Read the full NJ.com article here.