NJHA: A new bulletin from the New Jersey Hospital Association reviews the “rise and fall” of COVID-19 in New Jersey hospitals, charting the peak day of hospital activity on April 14 and the steady decline that is bringing the state’s hospitals close to pre-COVID capacity levels.
New Jersey reported its first COVID-19 case on March 4. The rapid rise of the virus in New Jersey culminated on April 14, when the state’s hospitals experienced the following peaks:
- 8,084 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19
- 82 percent of intensive care beds were filled
- 62 percent of ventilators were in use.
These numbers represent a statewide average. However, COVID-19 activity varied significantly across regions of the state, with some facilities in northern New Jersey near 100 percent of capacity in mid-April.
The bulletin includes data through May 20, when 3,208 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s a 60 percent decline from hospitals’ peak.
“One of the greatest fears – that COVID cases would exceed our available beds and ventilators – never materialized, thanks to hospitals’ nimbleness in expanding capacity in our healthcare system,” said NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett. “It’s heartening to see the decline of COVID patients in our hospitals. We remain ever vigilant to not only protect New Jerseyans today, but also to build up our ability to respond to any signs of renewed virus activity.”
Other data in the review from NJHA’s Center for Health Analytics, Research and Transformation, captured through May 20, shows:
- 150,339 N.J. residents have tested positive for the virus, which represents 1.7 percent of the state’s population. Nationally, more than 1.5 million have been infected, which represents approximately 0.45 percent of the population.
- 10,747 N.J. residents have died from COVID-19, representing 7.1 percent of the state’s total COVID cases. Across the country, more than 90,000 individuals have died, for a national death rate at just over 6 percent.
Go to www.njha.com/CHART to view the full CHART bulletin.