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Time for Governor Murphy to stick to His Promise and Follow the Science on Masks

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, North Jersey lawmakers are questioning Governor Phil Murphy’s hesitation to follow recommendations by federal health officials to lift mask requirements in most instances.
“For a guy who claimed early on that he’d be guided at every step by science, Governor Murphy seems more driven by politics,” said State Senator Kristin Corrado (R-Bergen). “He is quick to crack down, but when the science tells us otherwise he wants time to think about it.”

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FDA and CDC lifts pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.

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Staff Member of NJ Attorney General Tests Positive for COVID19

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, “Today, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal learned that a staff member he had contact with at the workplace on Monday tested positive for COVID-19. Upon learning this information, the Attorney General took a rapid COVID-19 test which came back positive; a follow-up PCR test, however, returned a negative result.

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NCIS: Beware of Coronavirus-Themed Scams

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, During this health crisis, Bergen County Prosecutors Office warns that criminals are taking advantage. Beware of online scams and emails about coronavirus. Do not click on unknown links!

From Naval Criminal Investigative Service Public Affairs :

The novel coronavirus pandemic presents an opportunity for malicious actors to conduct spearphishing campaigns, financial scams, and disinformation campaigns via social media to collect sensitive information, steal money via fake donation websites, spread false information, and deliver malware to victims.

Several spearphishing campaigns since January have falsely represented various healthcare organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. In many cases, victims receive coronavirus-themed emails requesting the victim to open an attachment or click on a link to obtain details about the coronavirus. Once a victim clicks on the attachment or link, they are directed to a malicious website requesting the victim to enter login credentials.

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Hackensack Meridian Health’s Center for Discovery and Innovation Launches Rapid Response Coronavirus Test

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health network, is pleased to announce that the Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) has created a test to dramatically reduce the time it takes for diagnosing COVID-19. This is a major advance that will benefit patients, create a more effective triage system in our hospitals and potentially better control the spread of disease.

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Rooney bill puts tramadol in same category as other addictive opioids

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June 30,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Wyckoff NJ,  To help combat New Jersey’s opioid crisis, Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney (R 40)  has introduced legislation reclassifying tramadol as a drug with the same addictive qualities as oxycodone and fentanyl. The upgrade limits initial prescriptions to a five-day supply.

The federal government classifies prescription drugs and narcotics based on their acceptable medical use and potential for dependency. Schedule I drugs are considered the most dangerous; schedule V the least. Rooney’s bill (A4300) makes tramadol, a schedule IV synthetic opioid pain killer, a schedule II drug, the same as oxycodone and fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is fueling the opioid epidemic right now in New Jersey and the nation, but studies show tramadol may be as addictive and its use is increasing,” said Rooney (R-Bergen). “High doses have similar effects to oxycodone, making it a very dangerous drug. The opioid crisis is the result of overprescribing pain medications. This is an effort to prevent that from happening with tramadol. Placing it in the same category as similar pain killers is common sense.”
Studies show tramadol can produce a euphoric high similar to oxycodone and heroin. The number of prescriptions written doubled from 22 million to 44 million from 2008 to 2014.
“Like similar opioids, tramadol can be lethal if abused,” continued Rooney. “What makes it even more alarming is antidotes such as naloxone don’t completely reverse tramadol overdoses. We need to stop this drug from being overprescribed now before it becomes the next opioid of choice.”

Legislation signed into law last year restricts initial opioid prescriptions to a 5-day supply, making New Jersey’s limit one of the strictest in the country.
There were 2,284 overdose deaths in New Jersey from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017, a 34.7 percent increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials attribute the rise to increased fentanyl use.