Teen Vaccination Urged As School COVID Outbreaks Grow To 38 In New Jersey

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey officials are stressing the importance of getting young people vaccinated as school COVID-19 outbreaks grow to 38.

As of Monday, there were 219 positive coronavirus cases linked to 38 school outbreaks, said Gov. Phil Murphy during the Wednesday news conference.

"We all must take a concerted effort to get more young people vaccinated," said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.

Of the 219 cases, 37 are staff cases and 182 are student cases spread across 38 communities in 16 New Jersey counties, said Murphy.

To qualify as a COVID-19 outbreak in a school there have to be three cases connected and not from the same household, said Persichilli.

There was one outbreak in Passaic County that impacted 50 students and no staff. This accounts for 27 percent of all students cases, said Murphy.

Persichilli noted the Passaic County high school has a large number of unvaccinated students and is contributing to nearly a quarter of school outbreaks.

All of the cases were traced back to in school and classroom activities.

While not classified as an outbreak, the Toms River Regional School District has nearly 900 students and staff members quarantined from school due to exposure to COVID-19 infections, three weeks into the school year, according to tallies posted on the school website. Read More: 881 Students, Teachers In NJ School District On COVID Quarantine

"We know from the low percentage of breakthrough cases that the virus spreads faster and causes more severe disease among the unvaccinated," said Persichilli.

Specifically, Persichilli called on teens from ages 12 to 17 to get vaccinated.

As of Wednesday, 83 percent of eligible New Jersey residents 12 or older received at least one dose of the vaccine. And 60.1 percent of those ages 12 to 17 had received at least the first shot.

Some New Jersey counties reported a higher number of young people vaccinated in ages 12 to 17. Specifically, Hudson County reports 82 percent of teens are vaccinated and Mercer County reported 73 percent.

"The science could not be clearer. Vaccines work. They are the path out of this pandemic," said Persichilli.

To find a vaccine location click here.

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