COVID Testing Expands In Bergen County As Schools Plan For Return

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Coronavirus case numbers are climbing as the omicron variant continues to make itself known across the country, and in New Jersey.

There were 238 cases of the coronavirus reported in Bergen County on Dec. 1, according to New Jersey Department of Health data. Much like the rest of the state, that number spiked, with 1,942 cases reported on Christmas.

The number has gone down slightly, with 1,594 cases reported on Dec. 28, but there are other issues facing the region and the state.

Hospitalizations, as well as people on ventilators, are up in the North region of the state. Though neither of those numbers have risen higher than January of last year, they are close. There were 1,643 hospitalizations on Dec. 29, 2020, and 1,546 on Dec. 28, 2021.

Schools have also seen a climb in numbers, both within K-12 districts and at the state's colleges and universities. Fairleigh Dickinson University reported that more than 50 percent of their cases during the first semester came after Thanksgiving.

Along with FDU, Ramapo College and Bergen Community College are urging students and staff to get the booster shot, and it's likely that students will be required to test negative for the virus before returning to campus in January.

The New Jersey Department of Health also reports 904 new student cases and 278 new staff cases during the week of Dec. 19.

A number of new testing initiatives have popped up from hospitals and in communities in the county, but shortages are hindering much of the state.

The United States has faced a shortage of tests, with the more contagious omicron variant spreading and many getting tested to prepare for the holidays.

President Joe Biden pledged Monday to ease the test shortage. The administration's steps will include using the Defense Production Act to increase production of at-home tests, but the president said federal efforts haven't gone far enough.

"Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," President Biden said on a call with his administration's COVID-19 response team and a group of governors.

The New Jersey Department of Health also recently began offering free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits. UPS will ship the kit with next-day delivery, and a health care professional will virtually walk patients through the tests and answer questions. Find more info here.

The state department of health also has an online database of locations where tests can be found. For that site, click here.