The 7 NJ Counties With Highest COVID Transmission | Across New Jersey, NJ Patch – Patch.com
NEW JERSEY — Just seven counties remain in the most serious “substantial” level of coronavirus transmission in New Jersey now that the state’s COVID-19 numbers have experienced a rapid turnaround in the past several weeks.
The bulk of the state’s counties — 13 — are now in the moderate transmission category. One is in the lowest level, according to the latest State Profile Report released by federal officials.
Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during his Monday news conference, said the data shows New Jersey continues to be impacted by the coronavirus – and that’s why he was reluctant to lift the indoor mask order until this week.
“We have the virus on the run, but it’s not yet finished,” Murphy said on Monday. “Our work is not yet finished.”
Here’s a glance at where counties around the state stand, as of Tuesday:
Moderate
Bergen, Monmouth, Middlesex, Essex, Union, Morris, Hudson, Ocean, Mercer, Somerset, Atlantic, Hunterdon and Cape May counties.
Substantial
Camden, Passaic, Gloucester, Cumberland, Sussex, Warren and Salem counties.
The weekly State Profile Report, made in collaboration with the White House and other federal agencies, measures COVID-19 risk through metrics such as new cases per 100,000 people, percent changes in new cases and positivity rate. The report was previously released by the White House Coronavirus Task Force under the Trump administration.
The report shows declines in all areas. Statewide, there were 36 new COVID-19 cases for the week ending May 21st per 100,000 people, down 10 percent from the previous week. COVID-19 related deaths are also down to 1.7 deaths per 100,000 people, a drop of 11 percent.
Statewide, the entire population is 46.2 percent vaccinated, according to the report.
Some counties are in the “orange” zone for new deaths, which means 2 to 4.9 new fatalities per 100,000 people for the week ending May 21st.
Here’s how federal officials determine transmission rates:
- High transmission (red): Counties that during the last week reported 100 or more cases per 100,000 population or a lab test positivity at or above 10.0 percent.
- Substantial transmission (orange): Counties that during the last week reported 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 population or a lab test positivity from 8 to 9.9 percent.
- Moderate transmission (yellow): Counties that during the last week reported from 10 to 49 cases per 100,000 population or a lab test positivity from 5 to 7.9 percent.
- Low transmission: Counties that during the last week reported from 0 to 9 cases per 100,000 population or a lab test positivity from zero to 4.9 percent.
The federal report is not the same as the state’s COVID Activity Report that’s been released by the Murphy administration every week and helps determine if schools will shift to remote or hold in-person instruction.
Under the Trump administration, these reports were not made public. Instead, they were obtained by The Center for Public Integrity.
After months of being hidden from public view, weekly reports sent to New Jersey by the White House coronavirus response team have a new, publicly accessible home. Cyrus Shahpar, COVID-19 data director for the Biden administration, announced the move in a tweet in January.
“First post: We are now sharing previously hidden weekly COVID-19 state profile reports with the public,” Shahpar tweeted.
The release of the weekly state reports is the latest move by the Biden administration, officials said, to bring more transparency back to the White House.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, also said Americans should expect a “transparent, open and honest” response to the coronavirus under Biden.
The latest New Jersey report does not include a summary or recommendations that are typically provided by the task force.
With reporting by Justin Heinze.