Union County Now Has 'High' COVID Activity Amid Delta Variant

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Amid the highly transmissable Delta variant of COVID, towns in Union County are starting to individually send out information about statistics and precautions again. On Friday, Summit — for example — said that in August so far, 69 residents have tested positive for the virus, 26 of them age 18 and younger.

"If you or a family member is experiencing [COVID] symptoms, remain home from work or school and get tested for COVID-19," said the city in a release Friday. "...Get vaccinated. Vaccines are widely available through the Westfield Regional Health Department by calling 908-789-4070, the County of Union at ucnj.org and Atlantic Health System at atlantichealth.org."

The COVID vaccine is still 95 percent effective against the virus, according to medical professionals, and while vaccinated people may have "breakthrough cases," there is a lower chance of hospitalization or death for those vaccinated.

One Of Four 'High' Counties

This week, Union County, as well as three of New Jersey's other 21 counties, showed "high" COVID activity, according to New Jersey's latest weekly report. The determination is based on metrics such as case rate and positivity rate.

The other 17 counties showed "moderate" activity.

Updated Union County Cases And Death Toll

As of Friday, Aug. 20, there had been a total of 62,830 confirmed cases in Union County since the start of the pandemic — which is up 566 cases since the previous Friday.

And as of Friday there were 1,767 total deaths county wide, up only two deaths since the week before, according to the state.

New Jersey as a whole reported on Friday that the state had nine lab-confirmed deaths in the previous 24 hours. During the worst of the pandemic, on April 30, 2020, there were 460 COVID deaths in one day in New Jersey, or one every three minutes.

As of Friday, 923 people in New Jersey were hospitalized with COVID, a number that's been steadily creeping back up since spring (click the "hospital census" tab to view numbers). Of those, 73 people are on ventilators to help them breathe.

More than 623,000 Americans have now died from COVID, up by 6,000 people since last Friday. Most of those hospitalized with the virus are unvaccinated, say officials at the hospitals. You can see which states have the highest recent death rates here.

See last week's Union County COVID-19 update here: Third COVID Shots Offered In Union County As Delta Spreads

Where To Get Vaccinated Locally

Union County has two vaccination sites: at the Thomas Dunn Sports Center in Elizabeth and Downs Hall at Kean University in Union. To learn more about the sites click here.

You can also inquire at pharmacies and medical offices.

The county also has multiple mobile pop-up vaccination sites coming up including:

• Tuesday, Aug. 24 – Plainfield 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Held during the County’s Food Distribution Event Gerald B. Green Plaza in Plainfield 200 West Second St. J & J / Pfizer Vaccines Available

• Tuesday, Aug. 24 – Scotch Plains, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Scotch Plains High School 667 Westfield Road J & J / Pfizer Vaccines Available
• Saturday, Aug. 28 – Roselle 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Held during the County’s Food Distribution Event, Warinanco Park in Roselle Warinanco Park Roadway J & J / Pfizer Vaccines Available
• See ucnj.org for more information and updates.

Read More About COVID And NJ:

• COVID Hospitalizations Spike In NJ As Delta Variant Spreads
• Mayor: Westfield Had One Coronavirus Death In July
• NJ Mom Urges: Please Listen to COVID 'Long-Haulers'
• 4 Things To Know About The Delta Variant Of Coronavirus In NJ
• New Jersey Town Says: Get Vaccinated Or No Spaghetti For You
• Rise In Child COVID Hospitalizations Prompts Vaccination Plea
• NJ Hospital Preps For COVID Surge As Kids Set To Return To School

More Information

• 98 percent to 99 percent of recent COVID deaths were unvaccinated people, according to one study earlier this summer.
• Here is information on vaccine side effects, including the most rare but severe effects.
• COVID survivors may suffer from long-term symptoms.

Want updates on breaking news when it happens? You can sign up for occasional breaking news alerts in your Union County town, or for a daily newsletter at 6 a.m. each morning with local news. Don't miss the stories your neighbors are talking about! Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.