Early in March, there was little realization that the coronavirus was about to unleash such a deadly assault on the New Jersey health care system. By mid-April, COVID-19 was killing more than 300 people a day across the state and by Easter Sunday, a crisis in infections at long-term care facilities had become apparent.

After a summer respite, fall brought a predicted second surge in infections. But even as vaccination programs have begun, worst-case models predict that COVID-19 cases could again overrun New Jersey hospitals by mid-January. Senior Correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports on how New Jersey’s health care system coped with the pandemic in 2020 and what the prospects are for 2021.