Ocean County COVID Cases, Hospitalizations Starting To Decrease

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 omicron variant in November.

After six weeks of rapid increases, both the number of cases and hospitalizations have started to decrease.

These statistics from the Ocean County Health Department cover the days from Jan. 8-14, and show a decrease in the number of new positive cases over the last week. There were an average of 1,281 new cases per day over the seven days, down from the 1,376 new cases per day from Dec. 31-Jan. 7. In November, the county was averaging 140 new infections per day.

Hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 have risen significantly statewide since Dec. 23. However, state officials last week said that about half of the people listed as COVID-19 hospitalizations tested positive when they arrived at the hospital for treatment of other illnesses.

As of Friday, there were 5,671 people hospitalized due to the virus, with 524 on ventilators. While both numbers are higher than they were a week ago, both were lower than they were at midweek and marked declines. The hospitalizations reached 6,089 on Tuesday, and those on ventilators were at 911 on Wednesday. Since Jan. 7 there have been 5,492 people with COVID-19 discharged, and 5,462 new patients admitted, according to state data.

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

The CDC estimates the omicron variant was responsible for 98.3 percent of infections nationally from Jan. 1-7. The CDC variant proportions are based on representative CDC sequencing data gathered during a four-week period. In the four weeks ending Dec. 18, there were 4,503 New Jersey coronavirus test samples sequenced, according to the CDC.

While infections show signs of slowing down across New Jersey, the entire state remains listed as having "very high" COVID-19 activity, according to New Jersey's latest weekly report, through Jan. 8. 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 decreased in the last week, to 222.84 cases per 100,000 through Jan. 8, from 238.04 through Jan. 1. A month earlier the rate was 37.62 cases per 100,000. The rate of COVID-like illnesses was 16.07 percent, down from 20.97 percent last week. Percent positivity declined to 35.02 percent from 36.46 percent a week earlier.

There were 57 new deaths from Jan. 8-14, bringing the county's cumulative total to 2,385, 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 Jan.7-13: 0-18, 1,878; 19-44, 3,35; 45-64, 2,152; 65-74, 721; 75-84, 416; 85+, 154; total 8,566

The total new cases town-by-town for Ocean County for the seven days ending Jan. 14 are as follows:

• Barnegat Light: 7 new cases, 56 total cases, 14.29 percent increase
• Barnegat Township: 331, 4,159 total cases, 8.65 percent increase
• Bay Head: 11 new cases, 139 total cases, 8.59 percent increase
• Beach Haven: 11 new cases, 121 total cases, 6.14 percent increase
• Beachwood: 208 new cases, 2,243 total cases, 10.22 percent increase
• Berkeley Township: 623 new cases, 7,874 total cases, 8.59 percent increase
• Brick Township: 1,099 new cases, 16,279 total cases, 7.24 percent increase
• Eagleswood Township: 19 new cases, 291 total cases, 6.99 percent increase
• Harvey Cedars: 0 new cases, 29 total cases, 0 percent increase
• Island Heights: 18 new cases, 247 total cases, 7.89 percent increase
• Jackson Township: 737 new cases, 11,457 total cases, 6.88 percent increase
• Lacey Township: 431 new cases, 5,107 total cases, 9.22 percent increase
• Lakehurst: 38 new cases, 541 total cases, 7.55 percent increase
• Lakewood: 1,665 new cases, 22,141 total cases, 8.13 percent increase
• Lavallette: 26 new cases, 312 total cases, 9.09 percent increase
• Little Egg Harbor Township: 284 new cases, 3,478 total cases, 8.89 percent increase
• Long Beach Township: 12 new cases, 311 total cases, 4.01 percent increase
• Manchester: 546 new cases, 7,444 total cases, 7.92 percent increase
• Mantoloking: 1 new case, 46 total cases, 2.22 percent increase
• Ocean Gate: 27 new cases, 335 total cases, 8.77 percent increase
• Ocean Twp. (Waretown): 106 new cases, 1,311 total cases, 8.79 percent increase
• Pine Beach: 41 new cases, 394 total cases, 11.61 percent increase
• Plumsted Township: 114 new cases, 1,353 total cases, 9.20 percent increase
• Point Pleasant Beach: 62 new cases, 878 total cases, 7.60 percent increase
• Point Pleasant: 245 new cases, 4,349 total cases, 5.97 percent increase
• Seaside Heights: 43 new cases, 489 total cases, 9.64 percent increase
• Seaside Park: 7 new cases, 185 total cases, 3.93 percent increase
• Ship Bottom: 12 new cases, 172 total cases, 7.5 percent increase
• South Toms River: 70 new cases, 776 total cases, 9.92 percent increase
• Stafford Township: 349 new cases, 4,638 total cases, 8.14 percent increase
• Surf City: 41 new cases, 211 total cases, 24.12 percent increase
• Toms River: 1,350 new cases, 19,497 total cases, 7.48 percent increase
• Tuckerton: 37 new cases, 505 total cases, 7.91 percent increase

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