State health officials on Sunday reported 2,316 new known cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey as the statewide total climbed to at least 13,386 with at least 161 deaths as the potential peak of the outbreak could still be weeks away.

New Jersey, a state with 9 million residents, remains second in the nation for COVID-19 cases after New York. The increase was the second consecutive day with more than 2,000 new cases.

“New Jersey, New York are the nation’s hotspots right now,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during a radio interview Sunday morning. "The nation is looking to us. This is the fight of our lives.”

The update included 21 additional deaths, though the details on those cases were not immediately available.

“Sadly, we have lost 21 more New Jerseyans to #COVID19 related complications,” Murphy said in a Tweet. “Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time.”

Sadly, we have lost 21 more New Jerseyans to #COVID19 related complications. Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time.



As of 1:30 PM, #COVID19 statewide stats:

• Positive Tests: 13,386

• Deaths: 161



For updates: https://t.co/JW1q8awGh7 — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 29, 2020

At least 10 towns in New Jersey have more than 100 coronavirus cases each, with Jersey City having the most at 334. Bergen County continues to have the most cases with 2,169.

Sunday marked the first time Murphy hasn’t done a public briefing or phone conference since he held his first first briefing on March 13, nine days after his surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on his kidney, according to his schedule. The latest numbers were released on the state’s COVID-19 page and by Murphy on Twitter.

Health officials also reported 22,216 negative tests for coronavirus to date. That number includes about 90% of the private testing being done in the state. The positive test rate in New Jersey is about 38%.

The partial county-by-county breakdown of cases includes:

Bergen: 2,169

Essex: 1,227

Hudson: 974

Middlesex: 938

Union: 896

Monmouth: 870

Passaic: 831

Ocean: 759

Morris: 566

Somerset: 295

Mercer: 202

Camden: 163

Burlington: 142

Sussex: 93

Gloucester: 72

Hunterdon: 66

Warren: 56

Atlantic: 24

Cumberland: 11

Cape May: 9

Salem: 3

Another 3,020 cases remain under investigation to determine where the person who tested positive resides.

Murphy took to the airwaves Sunday morning to tell New Jerseyans that the travel advisory President Donald Trump issued through the federalCenters for Disease Control for the tri-state area does nothing to change the rules already in place for more than a week in New Jersey to combat spread of the coronavirus.

Murphy’s comments came in response to the CDC’s domestic travel advisory late Saturday that “urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately. Trump effectively backed off an earlier plan he floated to quarantine parts of the Tri-State area.

“We certainly abide by that," Murphy said of the travel advisory during a radio interview with WBLS. “The fact of the matter is we’re already doing that. We’re telling people ‘don’t go anywhere.'”

Pressed on why an enforceable quarantine wouldn't be effective, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tells @MarthaRaddatz: "Folks, they're already getting the message to stay at home, we're enforcing that." https://t.co/R6l5Z56nSs pic.twitter.com/j23jZWamZ6 — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 29, 2020

The virus has infected more than 704,000 people across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University as of Sunday afternoon. Of those, more than 33,500 have died and nearly 149,000 have recovered. The United States has the most cases in the world.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:





Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.