By Donald Gilpin

The Princeton Health Department today, April 17, reported just one additional positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Princeton over the past 24 hours, for a total of 75 cases. There are currently 31 active cases, four fewer than yesterday, with a total of three deaths from the virus, and a total of 41 reported COVID-19 cases recovered, completing isolation.

The New Jersey Department of Health’s report today for the rest of the state showed less evidence of significant flattening of the curve, as Mercer County reported a total of 101 COVID-19-related deaths, 14 since Thursday, and 2,123 total cases, 86 new ones in the past 24 hours.

In his daily coronavirus report from Trenton, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reported 323 new deaths in the state today for a total of 3,840, with 3,250 new positive tests bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 78,467.

New Jersey is the state with the second most cases and COVID-19-related deaths in the country after New York.

In the 24 hours up to 10 p.m. Thursday night, 787 residents who had COVID-19 or were under investigation for it were discharged from New Jersey hospitals. At that time there were 11,011 New Jersey residents hospitalized with COVID-19 or under investigation for it, and of those 1,961 were in critical care and 1,594 on ventilators.

The numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state are difficult to count, officials said, because testing has been backed up for several days, and the state is testing only symptomatic residents.

Murphy announced on Thursday that all New Jersey schools would remain closed until at least May 15.

Yesterday and again today, Murphy urged residents to continue to stay home except for essential trips, to obey all restrictions, and to be vigilant in practicing social distancing.  He stressed that more testing and a flattening curve with fewer new cases were necessary before restrictions could be lifted.

Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes echoed the governor’s advice. “The grind that this public health crisis has become makes it difficult to be as disciplined as we need to be: to stay home, to practice social distancing when we must go out, to wash our hands, and cover our coughs and not touch our faces,” he wrote in a statement today.  “Although we all have real concerns about the pandemic’s economic toll, health experts agree that the way to flatten the curve of the virus is to stay the course until restrictions can safely be eased. Our community has shown the resolve to get this far, and I know we have the resolve to keep going.”

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