New COVID Numbers And Tests In Hudson County This Week

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Cases of COVID, particularly the easily transmissible omicron variant, have proliferated around the state. However, 85.5 percent of the cases confirmed and sequenced in New Jersey in the last four weeks are the Delta variant that has been causing deaths and hospitalizations since early summer. Omicron account for 13.9 percent. (Not all positive tests are sequenced to determine the variant).

As of Friday, the state's 71 hospitals reported 5,621 people hospitalized with COVID, 419 getting breathing help from ventilators.

In Hudson County, as of Friday, Jan. 7, 2,226 COVID deaths had been reported since the start of the pandemic, and a total of 123,150 cases have been reported since the pandemic. By Sunday the death toll was the same but the confirmed case number was 128,706.

Read below for the latest updates on free testing and vaccines throughout the area.

Hoboken Walk-In Testing On Monday

On Monday, testing will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 221 Jackson St. in Hoboken, first come, first served. Check with the site for testing requirements.

Where Else To Get Tested In Jersey City, Hoboken, And Countywide

The city of Jersey City has added more locations to get a rapid COVID test as of Thursday, they announced.

“The city continues to expand access to testing with additional sites opening citywide, specifically to offer more rapid test options in order to address delays that diagnostic labs are experiencing throughout the country," said a spokesperson Wednesday afternoon.

She added, "Starting [Thursday], we will dedicate three locations as rapid test spots for Jersey City residents: Joseph Connors Senior Center, Maureen Collier Senior Center, and Moose Lodge 266. We expect to add more sites for rapid testing as we receive more supplies.”

The testing is being provided by Bespoke.

Here are the details for the three Jersey City sites that will be open for rapid testing from Jan. 6-15:

• The Moose Lodge in Ward A will be a new site opening tomorrow to offer rapid tests.
• Connors and Collier will transition to rapid test sites only.
• All three sites will be open from 9am-6pm.
• Appointments are required for rapid tests.
• The City will start taking appointments for rapid tests beginning at 1 pm today. Use the
Bespoke website or by call the city’s hotline at 201-373-2316.
• Dozens of testing sites citywide will continue to offer testing for those who wish to get a test.
• Use this link to schedule a test in Jersey City with Bespoke.

In New Jersey right now, several hospital emergency rooms are on "divert status" due either to patient volume or staff being out sick, up from four at the end of last week.

While pharmacies, government clinics, doctor's offices and the state have offered places to get a free test or a vaccine, demand has increased since before the new year.

But there are new ways to get or find a test, including a new state website (see below).

And the state has opened a new statewide testing center in East Orange.

Clinics In Hoboken, Jersey City, and Hudson County

This week, there will be a clinic in Hoboken at the Hoboken Housing Authority building on Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find out more here.

Hoboken runs several testing sites each week. Appointments to be vaccinated or get a test via the city can be booked online at www.hobokennj.gov/vaccine or at www.hobokennj.gov/testing

In Jersey City, the city has posted an updated list of local free testing sites. See that list here.

The township of North Bergen recently added numerous testing sites. Find out more here.

The county of Hudson recently announced that it is adding vaccination sites at county parks in North Bergen and Bayonne.

Hudson County also has a vaccination center here.

New State Website

New Jersey health officials have launched a website where people can search for COVID-19 testing facilities near them or across the state. Users are advised to double check the accuracy of the hours, and eligibility, by calling the site before heading over. Go to the site here.

Tests are available to anyone in New Jersey; insurance isn’t needed.

In addition, the New Jersey Department of Health and Vault Medical Services have partnered to offer a an at-home COVID-19 saliva test kit that is available to every New Jerseyan who thinks they need a test. However, tests have run out some days because of demand. Learn more here. To order the kit, click here.

According to the state website:

“The kit will be shipped through UPS with next-day delivery. Once received, you will connect over Zoom with a Vault healthcare professional who will walk you through the test and answer your questions. When complete, the test can be sent back in a prepaid package via UPS next-day shipping. You will receive your test results 24 to 48 hours after your sample arrives at the lab. You will not be charged for the test, and you will not be asked for your credit card information.”

The state says: You can find a list of free public testing locations in New Jersey by county at https://t.co/bQkjIBA6hu, with additional sites to be added.
— NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) December 21, 2021

U.S. Death Toll

Medical professionals say that breakthrough COVID-19 cases caused by the new omicron variant — infections among the vaccinated — are less common among people who have received their third vaccination shot, and that for vaccinated people who do get the virus, symptoms are often less severe. But public health officials are concerned that hospitalizations are increasing nationwide, and that some staff are out sick, as well.

In America, more than 837,000 people have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. The daily death rate is highest right now in these states: Michigan, Tennessee, Arizona, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania.

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