Gov. Murphy To All New Jerseyans: Get Out And Get Tested, Because More Data Will Hasten Economic Restart
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The word of the day during Gov. Phil Murphy's coronavirus media briefing on Wednesday was "testing."
Echoing the mantras "public health creates economic health," and "data determines dates," the governor made it clear that he wants as many people in New Jersey to get tested as humanly possible.
Murphy said the state is well on its way to achieving the 20,000 tests-per-day goal it set out to accomplish by the end of May, but added for the restarting of the economy to reach a more brisk pace, health officials need even more data.
MORE: New Jersey To Allow High School, College Graduation Ceremonies Starting On July 6
To find out more about testing, please CLICK HERE.
Though still at or among the leaders in specific metrics per 100,000 residents nationally, New Jersey has made "tremendous progress" in nearly all of the hospitalization numbers on a regional level, Murphy said.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
- Resources, Hotlines, Unemployment & Covering Bills
- Remote Learning Tools For Parents Teaching At Home
- Ask Dr. Max Your Health Questions
- How Make Your Own DIY Face Mask
- How To Safely Remove Disposable Gloves
- Tips For Parents To Help Kids Cope
- Chopper 2 Over Empty NYC Streets, Landmarks
- Complete Coronavirus Coverage
Another reason for the demand for more tests is the daily positivity rate among New Jerseyans screened has continued to plummet. It's currently at 7%, which is drastically lower compared to several weeks ago, when the state was only conducting a few hundred tests a day, the governor said.
But now, due to the state aggressively expanding to 164 public and private testing sites and partnering with companies such as RiteAid, CVS, and Walmart, New Jersey is seeing a much smaller percentage of residents testing positive for COVID-19.
Murphy said New Jersey is ahead of 46 states in daily testing, overall.
