For several weeks, New Jersey has been seeing a strong rebound in the pandemic: on Friday it reported 17 deaths and 4,782 cases. This is the highest total of a day of positive tests, since January 29, and it is the second day in a row with more than 4,500 cases.
—
In the Garden State, the seven-day average of confirmed positive tests increased to 3,519 positive cases, 41% more than a week ago and more than triple the average of a month ago. That’s also the highest average since April 7. However, compared to last year, the figure is lower, since on 10 of the seven-day average it was 5,216 on December 10, 2020, when vaccines were not yet available.
—
Until Thursday night there was 1,526 hospitalized patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in 70 of New Jersey’s 71 hospitals. However, one hospital did not report data. For 11 consecutive days, the state has reported more than 1,000 hospitalizations, representing its highest number of hospitalizations since May 1.
—
The transmission rate across the state increased Friday to 1.41 from 1.39 the day before. Any transmission rate greater than 1 indicates that the pandemic is spreading, as each infected person is transmitting the virus to at least one other person.
—
This new increase in the transmission rate and hospitalizations comes after the Thanksgiving gatherings and trips a few weeks ago, as well as the drop in temperatures.
—
Second omicron case reported in New Jersey
–
The announcement of the rebound in covid-19 infections in New Jersey was released almost at the same time that the authorities reported that they had identified a second case of the omicron coronavirus variant in that state.
—
The Health Department released that the case involves a Monmouth County man who attended the Anime NYC convention at the Javits Center in Manhattan in November. The man, who was not identified, became ill on November 24 but was not hospitalized because he experienced mild symptoms.
—
The patient, who has already recovered, I was fully vaccinated and had recently received a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
—
The New Jersey Department of Health laboratory sequenced the sample to confirm it was the omicron variant, which has spread rapidly around the world since it was first discovered late last month in South Africa.
—
The New York Convention has been linked to at least one other case of the omicron variant.
—
On December 4, Governor Phil Murphy released the first case of the omicron coronavirus variant in New Jersey, identified in a Georgia woman who traveled to the state last month. The woman, who is fully vaccinated, had recently traveled to South Africa, authorities said.
—
