Monmouth County has 172 additional positive cases of COVID-19

FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone and County Commissioner Deputy Director Susan M. Kiley have announced that today, Jan. 4, there are 172 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Monmouth County. There is one new death being reported today related to COVID-19 in Monmouth County.

The County Commissioners and the Monmouth County Health Department (MCHD) are strongly urging residents to do their part to slow the spread by practicing social distancing, wearing a face covering when social distancing is not possible, not gathering in large crowds, washing their hands and staying home when sick.

In comparison to the number of new positive cases in all 21 counties in New Jersey, Monmouth County is currently ranked fifth in the State.

To date, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Monmouth County since March is 33,285. As of Jan. 4, there are 486 hospitalized, 82 in intensive care (ICU) and 63 on ventilators in Monmouth County due to COVID-19.

Monmouth County will offer free COVD-19 testing for County residents at locations that allow tests to be administered inside and outside, depending on the weather. The schedule for this week is as follows:

· Thursday, Jan. 7 in Neptune from 9 a.m. to noon at the Neptune First Aid Station, 5 Neptune Blvd.

·  Friday, Jan. 8 in Long Branch from 4- 7p.m. at the Bucky James Community Center, 231 Wilbur Ray Ave.

Residents should note the clinic has 200 tests and once those are administered, the clinic will close for the day. Residents are encouraged to fill out the testing requisition form ahead of testing in order to expedite the process.

MCHD has administered 8,056 tests, with 567 positive results, as part of the County’s COVID-19 Free Testing Program, which began in July. MCHD is conducting contact tracing for all residents who test positive.

Residents with general questions or concerns about the COVID-19 are able to contact the MCHD phone bank by calling 732-845-2070 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

When the phone bank is not operational, please visit the MCHD website at www.visitmonmouth.com/health for general information related to COVID-19. Residents can also visit the NJ 211 website for additional information at www.nj211.org/coronavirus-covid-19 or by dialing 2-1-1.

For information on the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the County’s COVID-19 vaccination webpage located at www.visitmonmouth.com/health.

The breakdown of positive COVID-19 cases by municipality is as follows:

If you would like to read more Monmouth County news updates and information regarding the COVID-19 situation, go to www.visitmonmouth.com.