ProPublica Report: Newark Hospital Beds Likely in Demand During Coronavirus Outbreak

A report published this week by Harvard Global Health Institute and ProPublica says that, due to the increasing number of positive cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, hospitals in the Newark, New Jersey region are going to have a hard time meeting the demand for beds.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, New Jersey had reported 427 cases of coronavirus, with five deaths.

The report underscores the seriousness of the need to “flatten the curve” through social distancing, which health officials hope will slow the spread of the disease and keep hospital caseloads manageable. But even in what experts consider a moderate rate of infection, ProPublica said, Newark-area hospitals would fall short of the demand for beds.