How Much Is COVID Spreading In Greater Morristown?

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The trajectory of the coronavirus remains unpredictable with schools returning and weather likely cooling from here on out. But here's what we know about Morristown.

Morris County averaged 61.5 new cases per day in the past week, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Here's how much cases have spread in the area:

• Morristown saw 18 new cases from Oct. 5 to Friday, bringing the town to 2,411 new cases since the pandemic began. That's a 0.75 percent increase in the past 10 days.
• Morris Township had 28 new infections in that span, totaling 1,772 cases since the onset of the pandemic — a 1.61 percent increase in total cases in 10 days.
• Morris Plains's cases went from 618 to 623 — a 0.81 percent increase.

Here are the local hospital ICU statistics as of Friday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services:

• Morristown Medical Center: 23.78 percent of ICU beds available
• Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: 76.92 percent of ICU beds available
• Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Morris County (Dover): ICU data unavailable
• Overlook Medical Center (Summit): 47.83 percent of ICU beds available
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): 48.68 percent of ICU beds available

Here's more coronavirus news:

• Morristown Medical Center will upgrade its emergency department in a $26.9 million project. Once design, funding and approvals get finalized, the hospital expects work to begin in early 2022, with anticipated completion in 2024. The hospital's emergency department is among the busiest in New Jersey, averaging more than 100,000 visits per year. The department operated at 100 percent capacity pre-pandemic, with patients and stretchers often overflowing into the hallways. COVID-19 only exacerbated the situation. More.
• Morristown is working on returning to in-person town meetings, but it remains uncertain when they'll come. During a discussion at Tuesday's virtual Town Council meeting, some officials expressed an urgency to get back to meeting in-person. More.

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Morristown Patch Facebook page.