Coronavirus Totals For Maplewood And Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Seventy-four residents of Essex County have passed away due to the new coronavirus as of Friday morning, according to officials.

The county's latest COVID-19 totals, as of 9 a.m. Friday, included 3,031 positive cases. There were also 2,161 negative test results.

As of Wednesday, the "case fatality rate" in Essex County was 2.6 percent. The case fatality rate statewide was 1.4 percent, officials said.

The following statistics are from Essex County. (Click the table to enlarge image)

Essex County recently added three new dates for coronavirus testing for county residents. Read more here.

The state of New Jersey announced Friday that there were 113 more coronavirus-linked deaths from the previous day, bringing the state total to 646. There are 29,895 positive cases. Read more here.

Experts say that the novel coronavirus, because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Residents who have questions about coronavirus can call 211 or contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222.

Got a news tip or just want to reach out? Email caren.lissner@patch.com.