How Much Is COVID Spreading In Greater Morristown During The Omicron Surge?

MORRISTOWN, NJ — For the first time since the omicron variant emerged, Morris County is beginning to see a slight decline in new daily cases over a week's period. But case totals still remain among the area's highest since the pandemic began.

Here's what's happening in Greater Morristown.

Cases

Morris County averaged 1,507.8 infections per day this past week, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. That's a slight improvement over the prior week, when the area averaged 1,637.4 new daily cases in that span.

But Morris County's case totals still remain among its highest since the pandemic began. One month ago, the county averaged 246.3 new cases per day for the week ending Dec. 13 —the current rate of new cases is more than six times higher.

Here are the local case numbers:

• Morristown saw 550 new cases from Jan. 4 to Wednesday, bringing the town to according to 3,965 cases since the pandemic began Morris County data. That's a 16.1 percent increase to Morristown's infection total in eight days.
• Officials reported 461 Morris Township infections in that span, putting the township at 3,267 cases since the onset of the pandemic. The case total increased 16.4 percent from Jan. 4 to Wednesday.
• Morris Plains's case total grew from 969 to 1,090 for a 12.5 percent increase in eight days.

The Morris School District reported the following totals as of Monday on its COVID-19 dashboard:

Hospital Data

The strain on several Morristown-area hospitals has increased in recent weeks.

The ratio of COVID-19 hospitalizations to total beds provides insight on how much strain a hospital is under. The ratio becomes concerning when it crosses 10 percent, and anything more than 20 percent represents "extreme stress," according to a framework the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation developed.

Additionally, ICU capacity also indicates hospital strain, hospital-capacity experts told NPR. When COVID-19 patients fill more than 30 percent of ICU beds, it suggests a hospital is under "high stress." Sixty percent or more indicates "extreme stress."

Several Morristown-area hospitals are starting to fall into the data categories of high or extreme stress. Here's what federal officials reported for the week ending Jan. 6:

• Morristown Medical Center: COVID-19 patients occupied 23 percent of adult inpatient beds and 14 percent of adult ICU beds.
• Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: COVID-19 patients occupied 13 percent of adult inpatient beds and 14 percent of adult ICU beds.
• Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains): COVID-19 patients occupied 30 percent of adult inpatient beds and 38 percent of adult ICU beds.
• Kindred Hospital New Jersey (Dover): COVID-19 patient data unavailable.
• Overlook Medical Center (Summit): COVID-19 patients occupied 23 percent of adult inpatient beds and 11 percent of adult ICU beds.
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): COVID-19 patients occupied 30 percent of adult inpatient beds and 16 percent of adult ICU beds.

But the hospitals still have beds available for those in need. The New Jersey Hospital Association has urged people not to delay medical care, including trips to the hospital.

Here is the federal data for overall bed use in Morristown-area hospitals for the week ending Jan. 6:

• Morristown Medical Center: 79 percent of adult inpatient beds and 61 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.
• Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: 41 percent of adult inpatient beds and 35 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.
• Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains): 75 percent of adult inpatient beds and 60 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.
• Kindred Hospital New Jersey (Dover): 82 percent of adult inpatient beds were in use. ICU data was unavailable.
• Overlook Medical Center (Summit): 63 percent of adult inpatient beds and 38 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): 87 percent of adult inpatient beds and 48 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.

Vaccine Data

As of Thursday, 44.1 percent of Morris County's fully vaccinated population received the COVID-19 booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC reported that 78.8 percent of Morris County's vaccine-eligible population — people 5 and older — have completed their first COVID vaccine course. As of Thursday, 92.4 percent of Morris County residents 5 and older have received at least one COVID shot.

Deaths

Eighteen people in Morris County died from COVID-19 in the past week, according to the CDC.

See more local news and resources:

• Looking for a COVID test? Here's what to know about Morristown's local testing centers.
• Here's where to find a COVID-19 booster shot — or first or second vaccination — around Greater Morristown.
• More than 800 people received free COVID-19 tests on the first day of Morris County's reopened COVID-19 testing site. Officials believe the site, which opened Monday, will administer 800-900 tests daily for at least the coming week and beyond until the surge in COVID-19 cases weakens. Read more.
• A return to in-person town meetings didn't last long for Morristown. Town meetings switched back to fully virtual events, beginning with Tuesday's Town Council session. Read more.

Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of the illness, some experience conditions known as long COVID or long-haul COVID, according to the CDC. Learn more about long COVID at the CDC's post-COVID conditions page.

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