One In Every 100 Hoboken Residents Positive For COVID, But Hospitalizations Level So Far

HOBOKEN, NJ — The city of Hoboken released its latest COVID-19 statistics Monday night, showing that 611 residents tested positive for the virus in the past seven days at places where it was reported. This means that 1 in every 100 residents in the mile-square city (with estimated population 60,419) is positive. While some of the rise is likely attributable to the spread of the omicron variant and some is due to holiday parties and gatherings, more people were also testing last week before visiting vulnerable relatives for the holidays.

But even before the holidays, lines for tests at local urgent cares were winding around the block, starting two weeks ago and increasing last week.

So far, the rise in local cases — including Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who tested positive on Christmas Day — has not increased hospitalizations. The city said Monday that eight people are battling COVID in the local hospital, seven of them unvaccinated — the same hospitalization numbers as a week ago. READ MORE: Eight People Hospitalized With COVID In Hoboken, 7 Unvaccinated

Still, in New Jersey, eight hospital emergency rooms (including pediatric) are on "divert status" due either to patient volume or short staff. Medical professionals are worried about what will happen in the next few weeks.

As far as positive cases in Hoboken, the past week's 611 number was triple what it was a week earlier.

Noticeable Rise In Hoboken Residents Over 30 Getting Vaccinated

In Hoboken, vaccination numbers have suddenly increased in the last week amid the younger population.

The city said Monday that of residents age 30 and over, 99 percent have gotten at least a first dose of the vaccine.

But 87 percent have gotten both doses, the same number as the previous week — meaning that many more people have decided to start the vaccination process.

The city of Hoboken announced Monday night that, following in the footsteps of several other New Jersey towns, the mile-square city has re-instituted a mask mandate for any business or public building starting Wednesday, "except when actively eating or drinking." The mandate applies to everyone over 2. READ MORE: Hoboken Institutes Mask Mandate, With Exceptions

People come from all over the state to party in Hoboken's bars and restaurants on New Year's Eve.

Read more about the city's mask mandate and current vaccination numbers here.

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 get the virus, symptoms are often less severe. (Mayor Bhalla said he has only "mild" symptoms.) But public health officials are concerned that hospitalizations are increasing statewide and nationally.

A study done of COVID deaths in Texas hospitals over this past fall determined that unvaccinated people were 20 times more likely to die of COVID than vaccinated people.

In America, more than, 816,000 people have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. The daily death rate is highest right now in these states: Alaska, Michigan, New Jersey, Arizona, and Maine.

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