NEW JERSEY — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy voiced concern Wednesday as he announced the state’s coronavirus transmission rate had risen once again.
The transmission rate, a key piece of data for tracking COVID-19, crept up to 1.15, the highest it has been in the Garden State since August 7.
A rate above one means that every new case could be spreading the virus to at least one other person. The goal is to keep the transmission rate below one, which signals the virus spread is on the decline.
Murphy said Wednesday that Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli predicted the increase but that the state was keeping a close eye on it.
The governor also reported 430 new positive COVID tests. This marked the eighth time in the last nine days the state has seen more than 400 new cases.
However, other daily indicators remained promising. New fatalities and hospitalizations related to the virus have remained relatively stable over the the past few weeks.
Looking toward prevention, the NJ Health Department is developing an app to track COVID-19 exposure.
The app will let someone know if they’ve been potentially exposed and what to do if so. It will also send an alert if you’re within six feet of another person for a prolonged period of time.
Students at Passaic County Community College, Stockton University and Montclair State University are testing the app, officials said.
Gov. Muprhy is set to hold a Facebook Live chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci at 11:15 a.m. Thursday.
