New Jersey on Wednesday reported five more newly confirmed COVID-19 deaths and another 655 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as the state’s daily caseload continues to rise.
The Garden State’s seven-day average for confirmed positive COVID-19 tests is now 496, up 62% from a week ago and 160% from a month ago, when officials were reporting record-low daily caseloads. It’s the highest seven-day average since late May.
Hospitalizations for the virus are still at some of the lowest levels the state has seen during the pandemic, but they have also been ticking up the last four days. There were 369 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 or suspected cases across New Jersey’s 71 hospitals as of Tuesday night — 19 more than the previous night.