Key COVID-19 Metrics Continue to Decline in New Jersey

The number of new COVID-19 cases is down nearly 30,000 from its peak three weeks ago.

The state reported 5,993 total new PCR cases on Jan. 27, the second time the number has been under 6,000 for one day since Dec. 15, 2021. Daily new cases peaked at 33,459 on Jan. 7.

Another key metric continues to descend as well with hospitalization statewide at 3,723. Patients in the hospital that have tested for COVID plateaued at 6,089 on Jan. 11, a decline of almost 40%. It is the ninth day in a row that hospitalization declined from the day before.

Daily Data

The cumulative number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New Jersey as on Jan. 27 was 1,808,506 with 5,993 total new PCR cases. There were 1,102 probable cases, bringing the cumulative total of antigen tests to 284,053. The total number of individual cases for the state is 2,092,109. 

As for those that have passed, the state reported 115 confirmed deaths, bringing that total to 28,301. The state listed probable deaths at 2,907, bringing the overall total to 31,208. State officials noted 63 deaths occurred in the last 24 hours of reporting that have not yet been lab confirmed.  

For North Jersey counties on Jan. 27, Bergen had a total of 454 new confirmed cases and 106 new probable cases, Essex 427 new cases and 45 new probable case, Hudson 314 new cases and 50 new probable cases, Morris 371 new confirmed cases and 46 new probable cases, Passaic 269 new cases and 33 new probable cases, Sussex 140 new cases and 14 new probable cases, and Warren 85 new cases and seven new probable cases.

Of the total confirmed deaths in North Jersey, Essex County has the most with 3,114, followed by Bergen at 2,949, Hudson with 2,375, Passaic at 2,007, Morris at 1,165, Sussex at 350, and Warren County at 282.

In regards to probable deaths reported Jan. 24, Bergen has 321, Essex has 309, Morris has 276, Hudson has 224, Passaic has 202, Sussex has 79 and Warren has 27.

State Testing 

As for the rate of transmission reported Jan. 26, it declined to 0.58 from 0.61 the day before. The daily rate of infections from those tested Jan. 22 was 18.3%; by region, the rate was 16.2% in the North, 19.7% in the Central region and 21.6% in the South. 

The state’s dashboard had a count of 3,723 patients hospitalized as all 71 hospitals in the Garden State filed reports Jan. 27. By region, there were 1,440 in the North, 1,281 in the Central and 1,002 in the South. Of those hospitalized, 652 are in intensive care units and 394 on ventilators. A total of 525 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.

Long-term Care Facilities

Health officials noted 563 long-term care facilities are currently reporting at least one case of COVID-19, accounting for a total of 24,918 of the cases, broken down between 11,245 residents and 13,493 staff. 

Cumulatively, 2,352 long-term care facilities have reported an outbreak infecting 45,234 residents and 36,513 staff, for a total of 81,483. 

The state’s official death total will now be reported as those that are lab confirmed, sits at 8,971 on Jan. 27. The facilities are reporting to the state 8,381 residents deaths and 148 staff deaths.

School Outbreaks

According to the state dashboard with 62.7% of all New Jersey schools reporting, new student cases totaled 17,820 and new staff cases 4,371 in the last week as of Jan. 16. Cumulatively, 217,685 cases have been reported— 167,619 students and 50,066 staffers.  

The vaccination rate for teachers in the Garden State is 85.2% overall. In North Jersey counties,  Bergen was tops at 91.0%, followed by Warren at 88.1%, Sussex at 86.4%, Passaic at 85.5%, Essex at 81.8%, Morris at 82.9%, and Hudson at 78.3%, the lowest county in the state.

In regards to outbreaks related to in-school transmissions as of Jan. 26, the state has tracked 432 school outbreaks and 2,683 cases linked to those outbreaks since the 2021/2022 school year starting Aug. 7, up 26 outbreaks and 318 cases from the week previous. 

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 in the new report, Bergen County has 53 confirmed outbreaks with 314 cases, Morris County has 32 confirmed outbreaks with 200 cases, Passaic County has 21 confirmed outbreaks with 178 cases, Sussex has 32 confirmed outbreaks with 167 cases, Essex County has 27 confirmed outbreaks with 142 cases, Hudson County has 18 confirmed outbreaks with 89 cases and Warren County has two confirmed outbreaks with 12 cases.

Vaccine Distribution

The number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in New Jersey totaled 13,383,651 in-state, plus an additional 547,297 administered out-of-state for a grand total of 13,930,938 as of Jan. 27. 

Of those who have received the vaccine, 6,353,349 received their second dose or the one jab Johnson & Johnson dose in state and another 219,372 out of state, bringing those fully vaccinated to 6,672,721. A total of 76% of those eligible are fully vaccinated in New Jersey and 90% have received at least one dose.

State officials reported boosters and third shots of 1,452,187 for Pfizer and 1,208,503 for Moderna. A total of 57,577 New Jerseyans have received their Johnson & Johnson booster shot. Overall, 2,718,267 have received a booster or third shot—49% of those eligible have received their booster.

In North Jersey, Bergen County has 697,944 residents fully vaccinated, Essex 563,049, Hudson 504,040, Morris 375,759, Passaic 341,844, Sussex 90,068, and Warren 58,499.