By Donald Gilpin

As New Jersey deaths from the coronavirus (COVID-19) rose to 1,003, with positive tests for COVID-19 increasing by 3,663 to at least 41,090 on Monday, April 6, Gov. Phil Murphy pointed out signs that the curve is beginning to flatten in New Jersey and that a peak in cases could occur later this month or in early May.

The Princeton Health Department today reported a total of 41 positive cases in Princeton, with one COVID-19-related death reported last week.

In his daily briefing from Trenton, Murphy noted that state health officials, for the first time, are beginning to see a decline in the growth rate of new COVID-19 cases. He emphasized that residents need to continue to follow orders to stay home and practice social distancing in order to prevent the curve from rising again.

Murphy presented a projected infection chart that showed 86,000 cases as a best-case scenario and 509,000 as the worst-case scenario at the peak, with the peak coming between April 19 and May 11.

“While we are not anywhere close to being out of the woods just yet, we are clearly on the right path to get there,” Murphy said. “Our efforts to flatten the curve are starting to pay off.”

The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Mercer County spiked to 19 over the weekend, with 740 total cases reported.

For more information, visit princetoncovid.org or covid19.nj.gov.