TRENTON, NJ – During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Jersey had a higher death rate than 49 other states in America. Despite desperate lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and long-term social distancing policies, New Jersyans were more likely to die than most other Americans during the pandemic.
Today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy touted his successful leadership during the pandemic, delivered in a 910-page report that the state paid nearly $4 million to a private contractor to perform.
Governor Phil Murphy expressed his gratitude towards Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads and Boston Consulting Group for their exhaustive 910-page analysis of New Jersey’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic resulted in over 33,000 deaths in New Jersey and over a million across the United States, marking it as the state’s most severe crisis to date. The Governor emphasized the importance of reflecting on the state’s actions during the pandemic to improve future crisis management.
“I am proud that New Jersey is the only state in the nation to have completed this type of independent and comprehensive review. The report both highlights numerous examples of New Jersey’s strong leadership during the crisis, and identifies gaps in preparedness and structural deficiencies that must be addressed,” he said. “I know New Jersey will be better off because of this review, and my administration looks forward to working with the Legislature on its recommendations.”
The report, led by Paul Zoubek, is unique to New Jersey and offers an independent examination of the state’s pandemic preparedness, response effectiveness, and recommendations for future crises. It highlights New Jersey’s leadership while also identifying crucial preparedness and structural areas needing attention.
New Jersey suffered the second-worst rate of death among all the states during the Initial Surge of the pandemic. But the State, to its credit, took bold and early steps designed to substantially reduce the number of people infected – shut-downs, quarantines, mask requirements, and social distancing were all implemented and resulted in dramatic improvements in health
outcomes over the course of the pandemic. By the Delta and Omicron Wave, New Jersey became one of the states with the lowest death rates,” the report reads.
The review scrutinizes New Jersey’s pre-pandemic planning, the effectiveness of its response, and necessary steps to enhance future preparedness. Despite having plans and laws for a pandemic response, the report suggests improvements in these areas based on the experience with COVID-19.
A critical focus was on preventing the virus’s spread, especially during the early days when its asymptomatic transmission was not well understood. The state’s early response measures, including lockdowns and social distancing mandates, were credited for significantly lowering infection and death rates as the pandemic progressed.
During the first few months of the pandemic, New Jersey had significantly higher levels of COVID19 than almost any other state. Between March and June 2020, New Jersey had the second-highest number of for fatalities per capita in the United States. In addition to the emotional and economic devastation to the families of the deceased, this immediately and unexpectedly placed stress on the healthcare system.
The report also reflects on the human and economic toll of the pandemic, emphasizing the need for better preparedness to minimize such impacts in the future. Despite the state’s expenditure of over $3.7 million on the review process, with total costs yet to be determined, Governor Murphy assures that the insights gained will benefit New Jersey going forward.