Murphy calls ventilators New Jersey's biggest need to fight COVID-19

TRENTON, N.J. - Additional ventilators are currently New Jersey’s biggest need to combat the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Phil Murphy said Sunday.

Murphy, a Democrat, said on ABC’s “This Week” that he made a request for more ventilators during a call with federal officials Saturday night.

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“The big headline for us right now are ventilators. We had a very specific conversation with the White House last night about ventilators. That’s our No. 1 ask. It’s our No. 1 need. And that’s the one that we are focused most on right now,” Murphy said.

He said the state also has significant need of personal protective equipment for medical professionals.

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Murphy said President Donald Trump’s proposed travel advisory for New Jersey, New York and Connecticut was fine with him, noting that state residents were largely avoiding travel.

“The fact of the matter is people aren’t really traveling a whole lot,” Murphy said. “A travel warning we’re fine with. The fact of the matter is we are all in flattening that curve, social distancing as aggressive as any states in America and we’ll continue to be that way.”

More than 11,000 people in New Jersey have tested positive and 140 have died from COVID-19.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.