The New Jersey Department of Health is directing its vaccination partners to begin administering booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines immediately to those who are eligible after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations Oct. 22 in order to further protect all New Jerseyans who have completed an initial vaccine series.
According to the CDC, for individuals who received a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at six months or more after their initial series:
- 65 years and older
- Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
- Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
- Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings
“This virus searches out vulnerable, elderly individuals, specifically those with underlying conditions,” said Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “To boost protection, we have been encouraging those eligible (to get a booster shot).”
Mix And Match Approved
The authorization recommends that everyone ages 18 and older who received a first Johnson & Johnson dose receive a booster dose at least two months after completing the single-dose primary regimen.
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In addition, according to the CDC, recipients may mix and match their booster shot.
“Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others, may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots,” stated the federal agency.
Holiday Surge Expected
The commissioner has noted while the latest surge is beginning to decline, an uptick is expected with indoor activities increasing and New Jerseyans considering travel and gathering for the holiday season.
“In New Jersey, the Delta variant now represents 100% of variants circulating,” said Persichilli. “Given how transmissible the Delta variant is, boosters are going to be vital in reducing the spread of COVID-19 virus in our state.”
The department continues its efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible, especially 12 to 17-year-olds. Those who have yet to be vaccinated are strongly encouraged to get their first shot today to protect not only themselves, but their family and community. Booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine are already available for eligible individuals since the end of September.
Kids Vaccine Review
Federal officials are to meet this week on vaccination for a younger cohort. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration will meet to review Pfizer’s application for vaccine use in that age group on Oct. 26. If approved, children ages 5 to 11 could begin getting vaccinated in early November, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official, said Oct. 24. Children 12 and up have been eligible for vaccination since May.
State officials report there are over 1,600 vaccination sites open to the public in communities throughout New Jersey – many of which have walk-in availability or extended hours. To find a site and book an appointment online, residents are encouraged to visit covid19.nj.gov/finder
Vaccine Distribution
The number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in New Jersey totaled 12,244,787 in-state, plus an additional 467,895 administered out-of-state for a grand total of 12,712,682 as of Oct. 25. Of those who have received the vaccine, 5,818,344 received their second dose or the one jab Johnson & Johnson dose in state and another 201,534 out of state, bringing those fully vaccinated to 6,019,878.
State officials reported 329,100 boosters and third shots of Pfizer and 80,200 third shots of Moderna.
In North Jersey, Bergen County has delivered 1,366,810 doses (645,003 fully vaccinated), Essex 1,057,894 doses (503,686), Hudson 948,312 doses (454,758), Morris 741,469 doses (347,992), Passaic 656,624 doses (313,857), Sussex 173,554 doses (83,956), and Warren 113,831 doses (54,637).
Daily Data
As of Oct. 25, the cumulative number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New Jersey was 1,035,316 with 829 total new PCR cases, the lowest single day since Aug. 1. There were 188 probable cases, bringing the cumulative total of antigen tests to 155,123. The total number of individual cases for the state is 1,190,439.
As for those that have passed, the state reported eight confirmed deaths, bringing that total to 24,049. The state listed probable deaths at 2,814, bringing the overall total to 27,863. State officials noted nine deaths occurred in the last 24 hours of reporting that have not yet been lab confirmed.
For North Jersey counties on Oct. 25, Bergen had a total of 75 new confirmed cases and 29 new probable cases, Essex 36 new cases and 10 new probable case, Hudson 36 new cases and seven new probable cases, Morris 29 new confirmed cases and 10 new probable cases, Passaic 45 new cases and three new probable cases, Sussex 22 new cases and no new probable cases, and Warren 15 new cases and one new probable case.
Of the total confirmed deaths in North Jersey, Essex County has the most with 2,835, followed by Bergen at 2,680, Hudson with 2,162, Passaic at 1,801, Morris at 1,035, Sussex at 260, and Warren County at 227.
In regards to probable deaths reported Oct. 25, Essex has 310, Bergen has 309, Morris has 265, Hudson has 223, Passaic has 207, Sussex has 71 and Warren has 26.
Of the 5,630,794 fully vaccinated individuals studied as of Oct. 4, 36,616 New Jersey residents have tested positive for COVID who were fully vaccinated, resulting in 794 COVID-related hospitalizations and 215 COVID-related deaths. All those are less than 1% in each category.
In the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3, breakthroughs accounted for 17.4% of all new cases (2,352 of 13,507), 2.0% of new hospilizations (17 of 834), and two of the 98 deaths.
State Testing
As for the rate of transmission reported Oct. 25, it declined to 0.82 from 0.83 the previous day. The daily rate of infections from those tested Oct. 19 was 3.2%; by region, the rate was 2.5% in the North, 3.5% in the Central region and 4.4% in the South.
The state reported 818 patients were hospitalized; by region, there were 231 in the North, 245 in the Central and 342 in the South. Of those hospitalized, 231 are in intensive care units and 132 on ventilators. A total of 92 patients were discharged in the last 24 hour reporting period.
Officials have continually cited transmission rate, hospitalizations, intensive care units, ventilators and positivity rate as health data they rely on to track how the coronavirus is being contained in New Jersey, guiding them in determining when restrictions have to be tightened or lifted.
School Outbreaks
In regards to cases related to in-school transmissions as of Oct. 19, the state has tracked 126 school outbreaks and 658 cases in 105 school districts linked to those outbreaks since the 2021/2022 school year starting Aug. 7, up 30 outbreaks and 137 cases from the week previous. According to state officials, the cases account for 564 students and 94 teachers across 19 counties.
Outbreaks are defined as three or more laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff with onsets within a 14 day period, linked within the school setting, do not share a household, and were not identified as close contacts of each other in another setting during standard case investigation or contact tracing.
For North Jersey as of Oct. 19, Passaic County has five confirmed outbreak with 72 cases, Sussex has 11 confirmed outbreak with 45 cases, Bergen County has nine confirmed outbreak with 45 cases, Morris County has six confirmed outbreaks with 27 cases, Essex County has five confirmed outbreak with 20 cases and Hudson County has four confirmed outbreaks with 16 cases. No outbreaks were reported in Warren County.
Long-term Care Facilities
Health officials noted 162 long-term care facilities are currently reporting at least one case of COVID-19, accounting for a total of 1,366 of the cases, broken down between 720 residents and 646 staff.
Cumulatively, 1,791 long-term care facilities reported a case infecting 33,964 residents and 23,240 staff, for a total of 57,204.
The state’s official death total will now be reported as those that are lab confirmed, sits at 8,607 on Oct. 25. The facilities are reporting to the state 7,998 residents deaths and 145 staff deaths.
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