By Donald Gilpin

The Princeton Health Department (PHD) announced this afternoon, April 20, the death from coronavirus (COVID-19) of a male in his 90s at Princeton Care Center (PCC). It was the fifth COVID-19 related death in Princeton and the fourth at PCC.

The (PHD) also reported today a total of 83 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Princeton, eight additional cases since Friday. There are currently 36 active positive cases that are in isolation and 44 reported COVID-19 cases recovered, completing isolation.

The PHD has reported a total of nine PCC patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus.  Those residents and any other symptomatic residents are being isolated in a separate wing of PCC. PHD is working with PCC to have all staff tested for COVID-19 and continuing to monitor the facility’s universal masking policy. Staff with existing exposure to confirmed COVID-19 patients have been placed in quarantine.

The New Jersey Department of Health reported today that 2,591 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Mercer County with 122 fatalities, nine additional deaths in the past 24 hours.

In his press briefing from Trenton today, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy emphasized a slowing in the rate of spread of COVID-19, as he reported a total of 4,377 COVID-19-related deaths in New Jersey, an increase of 177 in the past 24 hours, with a total of 88,806 cases, with 3,528 new positive tests. The number of hospitalizations due to coronavirus or suspected infection has been dropping over the past four days.

Because testing has been backed up for as much as 14 days and the state is not testing asymptomatic individuals, the numbers of COVID-19 cases reported in the state are not completely accurate, according to officials.

As Murphy and other government and health officials strategize about how to manage a safe, successful, and gradual reopening, with restrictions and social distancing guidelines relaxed, they note the need for a downward trajectory and a flattening curve in confirmed cases over a 14-day period,  sufficient health care capacity to treat all COVID-19 patients,  a “robust testing program” for health care workers, and “emerging antibody testing.”

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