Vaccinated Hobokenite Stuck In Panama After COVID Result: Report

HOBOKEN, NJ — A Hoboken resident who has been vacationing in Panama with friends can't come home yet because she tested positive for coronavirus, even though she's vaccinated, News 12 reported Sunday.

Since the vaccine is 95 percent effective against the virus, vaccinated people may still get the virus — but the vaccine has reduced the chance of hospitalization and death, medical professionals say. More than 604,000 Americans have now died from COVID (see which states have the highest recent death rates here).

The Hoboken resident in Panama said she believes that in her case, the results may be a false positive, as no one she was traveling with tested positive. She said she has requested a second test.

[UPDATED Wednesday: Her followup test came up negative.]

Hoboken COVID Statistics

Hoboken residents are still passing along coronavirus, although at a much lower rate than three months ago.

The city released an update Wednesday saying that there have been 18 new cases confirmed in town in a 16-day period from June 20 through July 5.

The city released the following statistics on recent positive cases:

June 20: 1

June 21: 0

June 22: 1

June 23: 3

June 24: 1

June 25: 2

June 26: 1

June 27: 0

June 28: 2

June 29: 0

June 30: 1

July 1: 3

July 2: 2

July 3: 0

July 4: 1

July 5: 0

Total: 18

In March and April, the city was releasing numbers each week that totaled, over 6- and 7-day periods: 172 new cases (week ending April 11), 221 cases, 193 cases, 163, and 188.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla said Wednesday:

"Carepoint [Hoboken hospital] has reported treating no patients with COVID-19, while Hoboken has not had a COVID-19 related hospitalization in nearly 45 days."

Since the start of the pandemic, 52 Hoboken residents have passed away from the virus, and there have been 5,054 confirmed cases.

The population of the mile-square city is approximately 53,000.

Vaccines In Hoboken

Mayor Bhalla noted that some who tested positive in these past two weeks had been vaccinated. "While there were a select few breakthrough cases in Hoboken in June," he said, "as before, the vaccines worked exactly as intended, and prevented serious illness in those instances. Those individuals had only mild to no symptoms reported."

He said 75 percent of Hoboken adults 18 and over have received at least a first dose, while 68 percent are fully vaccinated.

According to the state of New Jersey, more than 98 percent of Hoboken residents 65 and over have received at least one dose. The city has conducted programs making the shot available to bedridden seniors and others.

The city is also still running vaccination clinics for residents 12 and older. Those 11 and under are not eligible in the United States so far.

More information on local vaccines and Hoboken clinics is here.

Other Coronavirus News:

• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said last month that there won't be a state mask mandate for schools in the fall, and each district will get to decide.
• A recent report said that 98 percent to 99 percent of recent COVID deaths in America were unvaccinated people.
• Some are concerned about the Delta variant of the virus.
• A Hoboken mom has shared her story of how her family was among those battling long-term effects of the virus.

Don't miss Hoboken breaking news alerts when they are announced, or get a free daily newsletter at 6 a.m. each morning with Hoboken news. Don't miss the stories your neighbors are talking about! Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.