TRENTON, NJ – When it comes to who is still getting sick from COVID-19 and how and where they are contracting the virus, Governor Phil Murphy was at a loss for words with one reporter on Thursday. With the dwindling numbers of patients and new cases, people in New Jersey want to know what’s really going on and one reporter asked that very question.
Reporter: Do you know at this point, how and where people are getting sick?
Governor Phil Murphy: I think we gave you the chart in terms of the regions, at least.
Reporter: Where they’re coming from, I mean. You know, are they people who are staying at home? Are they people who are essential workers who are amongst other people?
Governor Phil Murphy: I don’t know that we know. The new hospitalizations, we don’t have a crisp answer, but we probably can get that for you. We have at least broken it down geographically. You’re good? Do you have any, sir? You’re good.
Last week, Governor Mario Cuomo of New York suggested many new COVID-19 cases were people adhering to the strict self-quarantine rules in that state. In New Jersey, many of the most serious cases of COVID-19 have been in the elderly populations living in assisted living facilities. New Jersey should start digging deeper into the demographics of why and how people are still getting the infection, instead of just releasing bulk figures on the daily “Groundhog Day” show. New Jersey deserves all of the facts and figures that are relevant to today, not a month ago or two months ago.