7 month old COVID positive infant dies

GOV. MURPHY PRESS CONFERENCE

Aug. 5

• The reported the death of a 7-month-old infant that tested positive for COVID after its death, but they do not know if it was the primary cause of the infant’s death at this time. This is the youngster person to die in New Jersey that has tested positive for COVID.
• The spot positivity statewide was 2.57%. In North Jersey 2.44%, Central Jersey 1.56%, South Jersey 3.79%. Murphy said that the higher numbers in South Jersey aren’t due to lack of testing. South Jersey did more testing per capital in June than any other part of the state.
• The Rt is down slightly from yesterday to 1.32. State Medical Director Ed Lifshitz said this number isn’t a path of concern, but it does have his attention.
• The list of states that people traveling from into New Jersey was published yesterday. Delaware and the District of Columbia were dropped from the last list and Rhode Island was added. If you are traveling from those states into New Jersey, you are asked to be a good citizen and use your cell phone to fill out a form.
• Lifshitz was asked if the lower numbers in the state in cases, deaths and hospitalizations could be because of herd immunity and he responded that we are “in no way near herd immunity”. He said the numbers are lower in hospitals because of the slightly lower age of the people being infected with milder symptoms. He stressed that these people still infect others. He also said that hospital numbers lag because hospitalization usually isn’t needed right away.
• Murphy said that through contact tracing there is no evidence of any flare up from any outdoor activities such as protests, beaches, outdoor dining, and other outside events. He just asked everyone to “cut the inside stuff out”. He is pleading with parents to stop the house parties.
• When asked if one person getting a COVID positive test twice counts as two positive cases, Lifshitz said that it is counted as one case.
• When asked about legislation making not wearing a face mask punishable by a fine, Murphy said he liked the “spirit of it but the devil is in the details of it.” He said the ACLU has an issue with it.
• The Motor Vehicle Commission has cleared more than 55% of the backlog created by the three-month closure. They have also administered nearly 40,000 road tests since the 29^th and eliminated the backlog.
• Notable quote from Murphy: “If we don’t feel like the rest of the country can get to us through the back door, we can get through this.”