COVID Spread Increases In Greater Morristown With Holidays Approaching

MORRISTOWN, NJ — You're probably tired of thinking about the coronavirus before holiday gatherings. But COVID-19 cases continue to climb throughout New Jersey.

Luckily, Patch has gathered important COVID-19 information about Greater Morristown.

Morris County averaged 369.9 infections per day this past week, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. That's more than triple the amount of daily new cases this week a month ago, when the county averaged 95.7.

Here are the local case numbers:

• Morristown saw 123 new cases from Dec. 13 to Tuesday, bringing the town to 2,717 cases since the pandemic began. That's an increase of 4.74 percent to Morristown's case total in eight days.
• Officials reported 105 new Morris Township cases in that timespan, putting the township at 2,119 cases since the onset of the pandemic. The case total increased by 5.21 percent since Dec. 13.
• Morris Plains's case total grew from 716 to 755 for a 5.45 percent increase.

Here are the local hospital ICU statistics as of the week of Dec. 9 — the most recently available data — according to the Department of Health and Human Services:

• Morristown Medical Center: 29.41 percent of ICU beds available
• Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: 64.1 percent of ICU beds available
• Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Morris County (Dover): ICU bed data unavailable
• Overlook Medical Center (Summit): 23.21 percent of ICU beds available
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): 47.37 percent of ICU beds available

Here's more coronavirus news:

• State officials have reported 127 COVID-19 cases among Morristown Medical Center staff in the past 30 days. The figure represents less than 2 percent of hospital staff, but New Jersey continues to report increases in hospital workers catching the virus. Read more.
• Booster shots, available at pharmacies and clinics around Morristown, are the best defense against COVID-19 illnesses as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country, according to health officials. Here's where to find them in the area.

Thanks for reading. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Morristown Patch Facebook page.