How Much Is COVID Spreading In Ocean County With Delta Variant

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Here's the weekly look at coronavirus cases in Ocean County, including town-by-town totals and a look at related data since the emergence of the delta and omicron variants this year.

These statistics from the Ocean County Health Department cover the days from Dec. 11-17, and again show a significant increase in the number of new positive cases over what had been seen for more than a month. There were an average of 339 new cases, up from the average of 292 new cases from Dec. 4-10. The average cases per day had been hovering around 140 for more than a month.

The county health department's dashboard showed new hospitalizations in Ocean County remained relatively flat since Nov. 22, averaging about one new hospitalization per day, with 22 recorded from Nov. 22 to Dec. 13, according to the county health department's dashboard. The county does not have a breakdown by day of how many COVID patients have been released from hospitals.

Breakthrough COVID-19 infections in people who have been vaccinated continue but authorities have said people who have had breakthrough cases in Ocean County are faring much better.

"The vast majority of those admitted to the hospital are unvaccinated," said Daniel Regenye, public health coordinator for the Ocean County Health Department. People who are in critical care units and intensive care units with COVID-19 "are almost entirely unvaccinated."

"Those that are vaccinated are experiencing much less severe symptoms," Regenye said.

The delta variant accounted for 98.8 percent of coronavirus cases in New Jersey over a four-week period ending on Nov. 20, CDC numbers show. The omicron variant accounted for 1.14 percent, according to the CDC numbers. The CDC variant proportions are based on representative CDC sequencing data gathered during that four-week period. There were 3,927 New Jersey samples that underwent sequencing during that time.

Related: Omicron Makes Up 13% Of NJ And NY COVID-19 Cases: CDC

Cases have been rising across New Jersey, and the entire state is listed as having "high" COVID-19 activity, according to New Jersey's latest weekly report, through Dec. 11. The determination is based on metrics such as case rate, positivity rate and prevalence of COVID-like illnesses including fever and cough and shortness of breath. The Central East Region, which includes Ocean County, has the second-highest case rate in the state that number rose to 42.29 cases per 100,000 through Dec. 11 from 37.62 cases through Dec. 3. The rate COVID-like illnesses increased slightly, with the COVID-like illnesses at 10.94 percent, up from 10.48 percent. Percent positivity remained at 8.42 percent.

There were 19 new deaths from Dec. 11-17, bringing the county's cumulative total to 2,263, according to Ocean County Health Department statistics.

The Ocean County Health Department data includes the seven-day town-by-town case totals. It also includes a breakdown by age of how many cases have been diagnosed in each age group.

The age breakdown is as follows for new cases reported as of Dec. 16: 0-18, 614; 19-44, 903; 45-64, 551; 65-74, 170; 75-84, 103; 85+, 27; total 2,368

The seven-day totals for Ocean County as of Dec. 17 are as follows:

• Barnegat Light: 1 new case, 44 total cases, 2.33 percent increase
• Barnegat Township: 125, 3,139 total cases, 4.03 percent increase
• Bay Head: 0 new cases, 104 total cases, 0 percent increase
• Beach Haven: 2 new cases, 102 total cases, 2.00 percent increase
• Beachwood: 38 new cases, 1,689 total cases, 2.30 percent increase
• Berkeley Township: 173 new cases, 6,062 total cases, 2.94 percent increase
• Brick Township: 421 new cases, 12,760 total cases, 3.41 percent increase
• Eagleswood Township: 15 new cases, 226 total cases, 7.11 percent increase
• Harvey Cedars: 0 new cases, 24 total cases, 0 percent increase
• Island Heights: 7 new cases, 209 total cases, 3.47 percent increase
• Jackson Township: 223 new cases, 8,900 total cases, 2.69 percent increase
• Lacey Township: 85 new cases, 3,904 total cases, 2.23 percent increase
• Lakehurst: 7 new cases, 432 total cases, 1.65 percent increase
• Lakewood: 255 new cases, 17,917 total cases, 1.44 percent increase
• Lavallette: 4 new cases, 223 total cases, 1.83 percent increase
• Little Egg Harbor Township: 87 new cases, 2,677 total cases, 3.36 percent increase
• Long Beach Township: 3 new cases, 267 total cases, 1.14 percent increase
• Manchester: 137 new cases, 5,761 total cases, 2.44 percent increase
• Mantoloking: 5 new cases, 39 total cases, 14.71 percent increase
• Ocean Gate: 9 new cases, 262 total cases, 3.56 percent increase
• Ocean Twp. (Waretown): 35 new cases, 994 total cases, 3.65 percent increase
• Pine Beach: 7 new cases, 272 total cases, 2.64 percent increase
• Plumsted Township: 34 new cases, 1,004 total cases, 3.51 percent increase
• Point Pleasant Beach: 20 new cases, 648 total cases, 3.18 percent increase
• Point Pleasant: 115 new cases, 3,337 total cases, 3.57 percent increase
• Seaside Heights: 7 new cases, 372 total cases, 1.92 percent increase
• Seaside Park: 0 new cases, 148 total cases, 0 percent increase
• Ship Bottom: 3 new cases, 139 total cases, 2.21 percent increase
• South Toms River: 12 new cases, 570 total cases, 2.15 percent increase
• Stafford Township: 103 new cases, 3,508 total cases, 3.02 percent increase
• Surf City: 3 new cases, 99 total cases, 3.13 percent increase
• Toms River: 429 new cases, 14,973 total cases, 2.95 percent increase
• Tuckerton: 12 new cases, 394 total cases, 3.14 percent increase

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