How Much Is COVID Spreading In Ocean County With Omicron?

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Here's the weekly look at coronavirus cases in Ocean County, including town-by-town totals, and related data since the emergence of the delta and omicron variants this year.

These statistics from the Ocean County Health Department cover the days from Dec. 31-Jan. 7, and again show a significant increase in the number of new positive cases over what had been seen for more than a month. There were an average of 1,376 new cases per day over the eight days, double the 646 new cases per day from Dec. 24-30. In November, the county was averaging 140 new infections per day.

Hospitalizations because of COVID-19 have risen significantly statewide since Dec. 23. As of Friday, there were 5,612 people hospitalized due to the virus, with 419 on ventilators. On Dec. 23, there were 2,365 people hospitalized. In the days since, a cumulative total of 7,048 people have been discharged from New Jersey hospitals. At the same time, there have been 10,296 new hospitalizations.

Specifics on hospitalizations in Ocean County in recent days were not available.

The CDC estimates the omicron variant was responsible for 95.4 percent of infections nationally in the week between Christmas and New Year's. The CDC variant proportions are based on representative CDC sequencing data gathered during a four-week period. In the four weeks ending Dec. 11, there were 4,211 New Jersey coronavirus test samples sequenced, according to the CDC.

Infections have been rising across New Jersey, and the entire state is listed as having "very high" COVID-19 activity, according to New Jersey's latest weekly report, through Jan. 1. The determination is based on metrics such as case rate, positivity rate and prevalence of COVID-like illnesses including fever and cough and shortness of breath.

The Central East Region, which includes Ocean County, has the third-highest case rate in the state. That number nearly doubled in the last week, to 238.04 cases per 100,000 through Jan. 1, from 125.18 through Dec. 25. A month earlier the rate was 37.62 cases per 100,000. The rate of COVID-like illnesses increased to 20.97 percent, up from 18.55 percent last week and from 10.48 percent through Dec. 3. Percent positivity rose to 36.46 percent from 21.71 percent a week earlier.

There were 30 new deaths from Dec. 31-Jan. 7, bringing the county's cumulative total to 2,328, according to Ocean County Health Department statistics.

The Ocean County Health Department data includes the town-by-town case totals. It also includes a breakdown by age of how many cases have been diagnosed in each age group.

The age breakdown is as follows for new infections reported from Dec. 30-Jan. 6: 0-18, 2,243; 19-44, 4,389; 45-64, 2,671; 65-74, 758; 75-84, 440; 85+, 192; total 10,693

The total new cases town-by-town for Ocean County for the eight days ending Jan. 7 are as follows:

• Barnegat Light: 2 new cases, 49 total cases, 4.26 percent increase
• Barnegat Township: 375, 3,828 total cases, 10.86 percent increase
• Bay Head: 7 new cases, 128 total cases, 5.79 percent increase
• Beach Haven: 11 new cases, 114 total cases, 10.68 percent increase
• Beachwood: 230 new cases, 2,305 total cases, 12.74 percent increase
• Berkeley Township: 774 new cases, 7,251 total cases, 11.95 percent increase
• Brick Township: 1,388 new cases, 15,180 total cases, 10.06 percent increase
• Eagleswood Township: 27 new cases, 272 total cases, 11.02 percent increase
• Harvey Cedars: 1 new case, 29 total cases, 3.57 percent increase
• Island Heights: 7 new cases, 229 total cases, 3.15 percent increase
• Jackson Township: 1,029 new cases, 10,720 total cases, 10.62 percent increase
• Lacey Township: 485 new cases, 4,676 total cases, 11.57 percent increase
• Lakehurst: 53 new cases, 503 total cases, 11.78 percent increase
• Lakewood: 1,834 new cases, 20,476 total cases, 9.84 percent increase
• Lavallette: 38 new cases, 286 total cases, 15.32 percent increase
• Little Egg Harbor Township: 294 new cases, 3,194 total cases, 10.14 percent increase
• Long Beach Township: 25 new cases, 299 total cases, 9.12 percent increase
• Manchester: 729 new cases, 6,898 total cases, 11.82 percent increase
• Mantoloking: 2 new cases, 45 total cases, 4.65 percent increase
• Ocean Gate: 35 new cases, 308 total cases, 12.82 percent increase
• Ocean Twp. (Waretown): 109 new cases, 1,205 total cases, 9.95 percent increase
• Pine Beach: 60 new cases, 353 total cases, 20.48 percent increase
• Plumsted Township: 140 new cases, 1,239 total cases, 12.74 percent increase
• Point Pleasant Beach: 101 new cases, 816 total cases, 14.13 percent increase
• Point Pleasant: 409 new cases, 4,104 total cases, 11.07 percent increase
• Seaside Heights: 43 new cases, 446 total cases, 10.67 percent increase
• Seaside Park: 16 new cases, 178 total cases, 9.88 percent increase
• Ship Bottom: 14 new cases, 160 total cases, 9.60 percent increase
• South Toms River: 98 new cases, 706 total cases, 16.12 percent increase
• Stafford Township: 441 new cases, 4,289 total cases, 11.46 percent increase
• Surf City: 42 new cases, 170 total cases, 32.81 percent increase
• Toms River: 1,854 new cases, 18,057 total cases, 11.44 percent increase
• Tuckerton: 46 new cases, 468 total cases, 10.90 percent increase

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