New Jersey’s total known cases of the coronavirus increased to at least 6,876, including at least 81 known deaths, as officials announced another 2,492 new positive test results Thursday — by far the state’s largest single-day increase since the outbreak.

“Sadly the number of lost lives is going up,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at the Trenton War Memorial during the latest coronavirus press briefing. “That’s partly due to some community spread.”

Murphy announced 19 new deaths from coronavirus — four in Essex County, three in Bergen, three in Middlesex, two in Burlington, two in Monmouth, two in Morris and one each in Ocean, Passaic and Somerset counties. Three of those deaths were from longterm care facilities.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said 31.7% of those tested in New Jersey have tested positive. The state has collected data on about 90% of the tests conducted, and the data includes 19,364 test performed based on that information, she said. Of those, 6,137 tested positive.

Officials have said the more testing expands, the more they will know how to respond to the virus.

The partial county-by-county breakdown of cases according to the state tracking website includes:

Bergen County: 1,206

Essex County: 609

Middlesex County: 505

Monmouth County: 501

Hudson County: 441

Union County: 432

Passaic County: 399

Ocean County: 389

Morris County: 315

Somerset County: 179

Mercer County: 111

Camden County: 73

Burlington County: 64

Sussex County: 49

Hunterdon County: 39

Gloucester County: 33

Warren County: 31

Atlantic County: 10

Cape May County: 6

Cumberland County: 4

Salem County: 2

There are another 1,478 cases that are still under investigation to determine where the person who tested positive resides.

New Jersey — which has 9 million residents — ranks second in the nation for coronavirus cases after New York.

Of the 2,492 new cases reported Thursday, Murphy said 436 came directly from the two state-run mass testing sites at Bergen Community College in Paramus and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

The governor also announced Thursday those sites will go through scheduling changes in coming days.

Plus, President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for the state, making it eligible for special federal funding to help pay for expanded unemployment insurance, child care, and supplemental nutrition and assistance programs.

New Jersey officials have not released the number of residents who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, or recovered. It’s also possible many residents who haven’t been tested are infected.

On Wednesday, Persichilli said hospitals in Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties were already feeling the strain of cases and the state continues to work on models predicting when the peak will occur. She said the coronavirus peak in those hard-hit New Jersey counties could be three weeks away.

And on Thursday, Persichilli said the state will create a bioethics panel to evaluate what would happen if the demand for ventilators needed to help critically ill coronavirus patients exceeds the supply.

Murphy said during a radio interview Thursday afternoon that New Jersey will likely still be dealing with the virus into May.

“It’s gonna get worse before it gets better” the governor said on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN Radio. “And I’ll be shocked if that doesn’t continue meaningfully into May.”

In an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus and prevent hospitals from becoming overloaded, Murphy has closed all schools in the state, ordered people to stay at home except for necessary travel, banned social gatherings, and ordered non-essential retail businesses to close until further notice. Officials have promised to prosecute those who violate the orders.

Though some commentators are pushing to restart the U.S. economy, Murphy has vowed to keep New Jersey’s restrictions in place here until science shows it’s safe.

“If we go too early, I’m fearful we will throw gasoline on the fire, and we’ll have a much bigger challenge on our hands," he said Thursday morning during an appearance on MSNBC.

Murphy also said Thursday school closings will last through at least April 17.

The governor also channeled former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

“I think he said something to the effect that ‘this is not the beginning of the end,'” Murphy said. “In fact, it may not be the end of the beginning. This is a marathon. And we have got to accept that.”

As of Thursday morning, the virus has infected more than 487,000 people and killed more than 22,000 people across the globe, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. Of those cases, more than 117,00 people have recovered.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

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

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