Troopers and Nurses Get PPE donation thanks to Smith

The New Jersey State Troopers union and the Health Care Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE; representing registered nurses and other health care workers) received thousands of donated gloves and suits at their PPE donation site in Manasquan this week, thanks to the efforts of Congressman Chris Smith.

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N.J. schools closed through at least May 15, Murphy says

New Jersey schools will be closed through at least May 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the state’s 1.4 million students continuing to learn from home, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday.

Murphy initially ordered all schools in the Garden State— public and private, including pre-K and college — to close March 18 for at least two weeks. He later extended that closure to April 17, saying he would not reopen schools until medical experts tell him it’s safe.

Now, his unprecedented order will last at least four more weeks.“Let me be perfectly clear: There is nobody who wants to open the sc… Read the rest of this entry »

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4,133 positive COVID-19 cases, 167 deaths in Monmouth County as of April 15

There have been 4,133 positive tests for COVID-19 in Monmouth County, as of April 15, according to an announcement by Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Director Sue Kiley. The NJ Department of Heath reports 167 deaths in the County, due to the virus.

This represents an increase of 130 cases (3.3%) and 22 deaths (15.2%) overnight.

The town by town breakdown is as follows:

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At least 6K coronavirus patients have been discharged from N.J. hospitals, officials say

Though cases and deaths continue to grow in New Jersey, more than 6,300 patients with the coronavirus or under investigation for it have been discharged from hospitals since April 4, state officials said Wednesday.

It was the first time officials gave a total number of New Jersey residents recovering from the virus after requiring treatment in a hospital.

“While the numbers we report every day are grim, over 6,000 discharges is a reminder people are getting better and overcoming this illness,” state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Wednesday during the state’s daily coronavirus briefing… Read the rest of this entry »

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Governor Murphy’s April 15 COVID-19 briefing

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Colts Neck Community Church is Gathering Gifts To Give

Glen Dalakian, president of Colts Neck Community Church, announced a giving program today and invited all to participate.

Gathering Gifts to Give volunteers will accept Encouragement Gifts for medical personnel and first responders as well as Support Gifts for those in need on Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and on Sunday, April 19 from noon till 4 p.m. at the Church’s parking lot at 25 Merchants Way, Colts Neck, NJ 07722.

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N.J. coronavirus peak now 11 days away with 16K hospitalizations expected, health officials say

With New Jersey cases and deaths still rising, though at a slower rate, health officials now predict the state’s peak in hospitalizations with the coronavirus will hit 15,922 patients on April 25 — 11 days from now.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli cautioned that the three models the state is using to prepare for the surge in patients change daily with new data and as the state pushes into the fourth week of a stay-at-home orderthat significantly increased social distancing on March 21.

Of the 15,922 people projected to be hospitalized at the new peak, 3,821 are expected to be in crit… Read the rest of this entry »

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O’Scanlon: Time for NJ to reclaim its manufacturing -pharmaceutical industry leadership role

Senator Declan O’Scanlon today called on the Legislature and Governor’s office to coordinate efforts to spearhead a rebirth of New Jersey’s once world-leading manufacturing and pharmaceutical research and production industries.

“The time is right now for New Jersey to be planning to take a lead role in re-domesticating these critical industries” said Senator O’Scanlon. “We still have the educated workforce, we still have incredible research universities, we still have the capital and investment resources and we still have the foundation of industrial knowledge and capability that made New Jersey the pharmaceutical and industrial capital of the world last century.

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Gas Station Owners Ask Murphy to Allow Self-Service During Pandemic

Some attendants are already sick; social distancing is impossible at the pump; stations are cutting back hours or shutting down entirely

By Tom Johnson, NJSpotlight

With gas stations closing as attendants quit because they’re afraid of contracting COVID-19, a trade organization is asking the Murphy administration to lift temporarily the ban on self-service gasoline.

In a series of letters to Gov. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store, and Automotive Association is urging the state to allow self-service stations as a way of easing the staffing concerns and other issues its members are facing due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Attendants at gasoline stations — some of whom have already tested positive for the coronavirus — are walking off their jobs. Owners are trimming back how long the stations are open. Some owners are worried that if the pandemic persists they may end up closing their stations permanently, according to Sal Risalvato, executive director of the association.

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State Distributes ‘Triage Guidelines’ to Allocate Medical Resources If No Other Options Exist

Guidelines call for triage teams to save lives and life-years; Murphy and Persichilli insist no patient would be excluded based on age, race, sex, gender identity and other concerns

By Lilo H. Stainton, NJSpotlight

While there are some signs the impact of the coronavirus may be lessening in New Jersey, state officials have distributed guidelines to help hospitals allocate patient resources if there are widespread shortages of things like ventilators or other critical-care supplies.

State Department of Health commissioner Judith Persichilli said the “triage guidelines” issued Saturday evening would not be activated unless a hospital’s intensive-care capacity was overwhelmed and assistance or supplies could not be provided by another facility in the region.

The document outlines a decision-making framework that a triage team can use to assign a score to patients in need of critical care — whether they have COVID-19 or another condition — based in part on the likelihood of short- and long-term survival. These scores would be used to determine who is allocated resources if there are not enough to go around.

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