There have been six reported COVID-19 outbreaks in New Jersey schools since the year started about three weeks ago. New Jersey Commissioner of Health Judith Persichilli reported two outbreaks in Atlantic County, and one each in Morris, Cumberland, Monmouth, and Union counties at a press briefing Sept. 15. Officials did not provide the school districts, towns or specific numbers of cases at the briefing. “It’s a combination of both staff cases and student cases,” said Persichilli. North-JerseyNews.com
Jersey City Public Schools have had 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 one week into the new school year. Nine students and two staff members tested positive for COVID. The buildings affected are PS 23, PS 27, PS 28, PS 30, the Anthony Infante Early Childhood Center, Middle School 40, Lincoln High School and Liberty High School. No schools were closed and students who were close contacts that needed to quarantine will participate in virtual learning. Hudson Reporter
State health officials are promoting monoclonal antibody treatment for Garden State residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. Monoclonal antibody treatment, given through an IV infusion at a hospital or medical center outpatient clinic, can be used by people who test positive for COVID with mild to moderate symptoms within 10 days of the start of their symptoms, are age 12 or older and weigh at least 88 pounds for those who are at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. NJ1015.com
Long-term care facilities in New Jersey have made considerable gains getting employees in these facilities vaccinated against COVID-19. New Jersey’s nursing home staff vaccination rate stands at almost 78% — a sharp rise from 56% in early May, and well above the current national average for such employees of 63%. Rates of cases and deaths in Garden State nursing homes are two to eight times lower than the national average in recent weeks, which health officials credit the vaccination program for both residents and employees. The Daily Record
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Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Sept. 16 a series of bills to reform how three state-run veterans homes operate. Among the measures now mandated by the suite of eight bills include quarterly town meetings for family members, greater disclosure around emergency response and staff compensation and state employees to serve as resident advocates for each facility. NJ Spotlight News
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel meets today to weigh evidence on COVID-19 booster shots, a topic that has divided federal health officials. The outside panel of about 20 scientific advisers is set to review information about the Pfizer vaccine’s declining protection against the coronavirus over time and on how people tolerated additional doses. It will hear presentations from the company, which has asked regulators to clear booster shots for people 16 years and older, and the FDA, which this week said all the shots cleared for use in the U.S. remain effective without boosters. The panel will also consider contrasting scientific data about the extra shots. The Wall Street Journal
The Harvest, Honey and Garlic Festival at the Sussex County Fairgrounds has been canceled for the second year in a row due to COVID concerns. County Administrator Greg Poff announced the festival, scheduled for Oct. 9, was canceled “due to increasing COVID-19 infections countywide.” In Sussex County, the number of positive cases has increased in every weekly report released by the county Division of Health since July. The July 16 report had 23 new COVID cases, but that number jumped to 264 by Sept. 10. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey recovered another 20,300 jobs in August, the eighth straight month of gains. That brings the total number of jobs recovered since the height of the pandemic to 468,600, marking the return of about 65% of jobs lost in March and April 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Sept. 16. The state’s unemployment rate declined 0.1 points to 7.2%, but remains among the highest in the nation. New Jersey Monitor
Atlantic City’s casinos and racetrack sports betting outlets are bouncing back from financial woes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, taking in 31% more in August than they did a year earlier, after COVID-19-related closures ended. Figures released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos and three horse tracks that offer sports betting won $427.6 million in August, compared with $326.3 million in August 2020, the first full month of restored casino operations after a 3 1/2-month shutdown due to the virus. News12 New Jersey
Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-26) is seeking to change New Jersey election rules via two proposed amendments to the State Constitution. One would alter New Jersey’s current apportioning of Electoral College votes, while the other would shift the way voters elect representatives to the New Jersey General Assembly. “The amendment(s) I am proposing will allow voters to select representatives who are more familiar with the people’s concerns and who are more accountable and accessible to the voters,” said the veteran legislator. North-JerseyNews.com
A former Franklin Lakes councilman is on the ballot this Fall to fill the two-year unexpired term that was created by his own resignation earlier this year. Dennis Bonagura resigned in July after the Borough Council voted to strengthen its nepotism policy in reaction to his son’s application for a police job. But after his son was not hired, Bonagura sought and received the nomination from the borough’s Republican County Committee. The Record
The New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) pulled their endorsement for an Assembly seat in the 37th Legislative District after learning the GOP candidate played a role in the protests in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The state’s second-largest police union initially gave their backing to Edward Durfee, the Northern NJ Regional Director of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group that prosecutors allege was involved in planning of the failed insurrection attempt. FOP claimed it didn’t know about Durfee’s role with the Oath Keepers in reversing its decision to back the GOP nominee. New Jersey Globe
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) will not run for re-election in 2022, calling former President Donald J. Trump “a cancer for the country.” Gonzalez, who emphasized that he was leaving in large part because of family considerations with having two young children and the difficulties that come with living between two cities, made it clear that the strain had only grown worse since his impeachment vote of the former President that resulted in him being deluged with threats and feared for the safety of his wife and children. The New York Times
North Jersey Democrats vowed to redouble efforts to ensure the nearly a half century of precedent allowing a woman’s right to choose is not overturned or hindered after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a Texas law that tightened restrictions on abortions. The Texas law, which took effect Sept. 1, dictates that a physician can’t knowingly perform an abortion if there is “a detectable fetal heartbeat,” and provides an exception for medical emergencies but not for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. “While America was sleeping, in the dead of last night, the Supreme Court for all intents and purposes overruled Roe v. Wade. In one cowardly, silent action the right wing justices took a hacksaw to 48 years of precedent,” said Bill Pascrell. North-JerseyNews.com
Disaster survivor assistance teams will be coming to a total of 21 Bergen County towns affected by the remnants of Hurricane Ida to answer questions and help with applications for assistance. The teams will set up in North Jersey towns through Sept. 26 as well as at Bergen Community College every Monday-Sunday. The Record
The Jersey City Council will introduce a resolution to start an investigation into Suez’s emergency response to Tropical Storm Ida. The legislation would introduce a resolution to create an ad hoc committee to investigate the private water company’s emergency response to Ida. The council put the spotlight on the city’s company to explain its response after the aqueduct that brings water into the city was damaged during the storm and look into Suez’s actions after Ida to ensure a plan is in place for water distribution and emergency communication for the future. The Jersey Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy announced nearly two dozen school districts in the state will get $17 million to expand pre-K teaching this academic year. The monies will be split among 19 districts, to either start a pre-K program or expand an existing program, with Murphy hoping to deliver on his long-term plan for every district in the state to have universal pre-K in New Jersey in the next 10 years. NJ.com
And finally….Here is a Bruce Springsteen video to lift the spirits of fans of The New York Football Giants, who found another soul-crushing way to lose a football game.
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