New Jersey recorded its highest single-day increase in new coronavirus infections since May on Wednesday.
In a tweet, Gov. Phil Murphy announced another 2,472 positive cases of COVID-19.
“We are still in the midst of the pandemic and need everyone to take this seriously. Wear a mask. Social distance. Wash your hands,” he said.
The spike came days after Murphy and other officials said New Jersey was in the midst of a second wave of infections, as the weather gets colder and more people have been gathering indoors.
The state is continuing to add personal protective equipment to its stockpile to deal with a possible surge in hospitalizations, officials said recently.
New Jersey has now seen 245,257 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began and 16,391 combined (confirmed and probable) deaths resulting from the disease.