COVID Spread Reduces In Parsippany, But By How Much?

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Since the peak of the omicron surge, the spread of the coronavirus has reduced in the Parsippany area. Many hospitals have even seen reduced stress after weeks of strain from COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to federal data.

Here's what's happening around Parsippany.

Cases

Morris County averaged 119.9 infections per day this past week, according to the state health department. That's just more than half of Morris County's average of 217.3 infections per day from the prior week.

Morris County hit a record daily case total Jan. 7 with 1,775 reported infections, but the area's average case totals have gradually declined since.

Parsippany saw 138 new cases from Jan. 28 to Monday, bringing the township's case total to 8,890 since the pandemic began, according to Morris County data. That's a 1.6 percent increase to the township's case total in 10 days.

Hospital Data

The number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in New Jersey hospitals has declined in recent weeks. The state's previously rising COVID hospitalization total peaked at 6,089 patients Jan. 11 and has since reduced to 1,952 people as of Monday.

Hospital-specific data, which comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only reflects hospital capacities through the week ending Feb. 3. The most recent week of data indicates less strain on many local hospitals than during the omicron wave.

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."

Here's what federal officials reported for Parsippany-area hospitals as of Feb. 3:

• Morristown Medical Center: COVID-19 patients occupied 5 percent of adult inpatient beds and 8 percent of adult ICU beds.
• Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: COVID-19 patients occupied 7 percent of adult inpatient beds. ICU data for COVID-19 patients wasn't available.
• Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains): COVID-19 patients occupied 8 percent of adult inpatient beds. ICU data for COVID-19 patients wasn't available.
• Kindred Hospital New Jersey (Dover): COVID-19 patient data unavailable.
• Overlook Medical Center (Summit): COVID-19 patients occupied 8 percent of adult inpatient beds and 9 percent of adult ICU beds.
• Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): COVID-19 patients occupied 17 percent of adult inpatient beds and 12 percent of adult ICU beds.

Vaccine Data

As of Tuesday, 50.3 percent of Morris County's fully vaccinated population received the COVID-19 booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See who's eligible for a booster shot.

The agency reported that 80 percent of Morris County's vaccine-eligible population — people 5 and older — have completed their first COVID vaccine course. As of Tuesday, 94.2 percent of Morris County residents 5 and older have received at least one COVID shot.

Deaths

Twenty people in Morris County died from COVID-19 in the past week, according to the CDC. The figure represents a 20 percent decline in COVID-19 deaths compared to the prior week.

What Else To Know

• Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed that he will drop New Jersey's school mask mandate on March 7. But the state will allow individual school districts and day care centers to maintain masking requirements after that date. Read more.
• The Garden State no longer mandates face coverings in most places. But even after March 7, there will still be some settings — and cities — where New Jerseyans still need to carry a mask because of mandates from the municipal to federal levels of government. Read more.

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