For the first time since its inception during last fall’s COVID surge, the New Jersey Hospital Associations color-coded guide shows that more visitors are allowed as cases of the virus decline.
UpdatedThu, May 13, 2021 at 9:27 am ET
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NEW JERSEY –For the first time since its inception during last fall s COVID surge, a color-coded hospital visitation guide shows all regions of New Jersey are in level green, signaling a loosening of visitor restrictions.
The system, developed by the New Jersey Hospital Association and adopted by hospitals statewide, reflects trends in COVID activity including new cases and hospitalizations – both of which are declining.
The changes come as key metrics in the state have dropped, particularly case numbers and hospitalizations. New Jersey just had four days in a row with fewer than 1,000 new COVID cases – the first time that s happened since October.
/PRNewswire/ For the first time since its inception during last fall s COVID surge, a color-coded hospital visitation guide shows all regions of New Jersey.
Lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy rushed last spring to protect hospitals and nursing homes from lawsuits as they faced an onslaught of COVID-19 patients and the unprecedented challenge of caring for them.
More than a year later, and far from the dire circumstances of the first wave, New Jersey s political leaders are not eager to scale back the protections, even though nearby states have lifted theirs and advocates, lawyers and a small group of lawmakers here say they are no longer needed.
As a result, countless families have virtually no legal recourse to hold health care facilities accountable for deaths or injuries related to COVID-19 as long as Murphy keeps his health emergency order in place.
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Emergency room visits for mental health and substance use increased proportionally compared to other health concerns at New Jersey hospitals for much of 2020, according to new data. And the trend was greatest among young people, with substance-use cases nearly doubling among those under age 18.
The New Jersey Hospital Association released a report Thursday that shows while emergency room visits for issues other than the coronavirus were down, the proportion of behavioral health concerns identified by doctors was higher between April and December 2020 than during the same nine-month period in 2019. New Jersey’s first COVID-19 case was reported on March 4, 2020 and close to 1 million people have been diagnosed since, including at least 25,000 who have died, according to state figures.