COVID In Somerset County Schools: What New NJ Data Reveals

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Compared to the rest of New Jersey, Somerset County schools have the highest amount of staff that are fully vaccinated.

• Be the first to know what's happening in your town and area. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss a minute of local and state news: patch.com/subscribe

The revelation came after the New Jersey Department of Health released new data Monday on its COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard now shows significantly more school data at the county level but still doesn't display any school numbers at the individual, district or municipal levels.

Somerset County's data includes 60 reporting schools, including private K-12 institutions. Numbers will get updated weekly.

The state reported 2.22 new cases per 1,000 individuals in Somerset County schools — the eighth-highest mark in New Jersey. The state average stood at 2.05 new cases per 1,000, while Sussex County reported the highest prevalence of infections with 4.04 per 1,000 people in its schools.

Somerset County schools had 76 new cases — the eighth-lowest figure reported in the state. The health department also tallied 11 new cases among staff — the state's fifth-lowest reported total.

Schools in Somerset County have reported 438 cases since the school year began, which ranks 16th among New Jersey's 21 counties. The county's 97 cumulative staff cases are the fifth-fewest in the state.

Statewide, 1.4 percent of students have missed time at school for COVID-19 reasons, including those with the virus who were isolating and unvaccinated students who needed to quarantine. In Somerset County that figure only stands at 1.1 percent — the 8th-lowest in the state. Hudson County had the lowest at 0.7 percent.

The new data also shows the percentage of school staff vaccinated against COVID-19. Statewide, 84.9 percent of staff are vaccinated against the virus, while Somerset County stands at 91.1 percent.

Previously, New Jersey largely limited its available school data to outbreaks, which require three or more confirmed COVID cases among those linked within a school setting, not including people in the same household.

So far this year, Somerset County schools have seen eight outbreaks linked to 45 cases. Schools in the county have reported 438 student cases and 97 staff cases overall.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.