New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced 232 additional fatalities from coronavirus Tuesday, marking the state’s highest single-day COVID-19 death toll.
That brings the state’s total death count to 1,232, a number Murphy called “almost unfathomable.”
Still, Murphy said there are some signs the outbreak is slowing in New Jersey, including decreases in the daily growth of new cases.
The state confirmed 3,361 additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing its total to 44,416.
But Murphy emphasized that social distancing measures need to be followed to ensure the rate of new cases continues to fall.
“We cannot be happy with only reaching a plateau,” he said during a press conference.
“We need to keep strong and keep determined to see that curve begin to fall and ultimately get to zero.”
He added “many more weeks, at the least,” of following social distancing measures, including staying at least six feet away from others, will be required.
New York also reported its highest single-day death toll Tuesday with an additional 731 cases.
However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that the number of deaths is a “lagging indicator” of the outbreak. Other metrics, including the three-day average of new hospitalizations, are falling.