St. Joseph's Hospitals Limit Visitors As Local COVID Cases Increase

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — St. Joseph's Health recently tightened its visitor restrictions for its hospitals. The updated rules, which began May 3, came during an increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations throughout New Jersey.

The restrictions prohibit COVID-positive and immunocompromised patients from having visitors under most circumstances at the Wayne and Paterson hospitals. Most other adult patients can have one visitor at a time, while most children may have two parents or guardians visit at a time. Up to two visitors at a time are permitted for end-of-life care.

Certain exceptions apply. View the full rules here.

Transmission and COVID hospitalizations continue to steadily rise in New Jersey. The state has averaged 3,440 daily cases over the past week — a 58 percent increase over two weeks prior. That's an average of 39 people per 100,000 infected each day.

New Jersey has a transmission rate of 1.24 as of Tuesday, according to the state health department. A transmission rate higher than one means that every new case leads to another new case, signifying a quickening spread of the virus.

Passaic County, meanwhile, has a daily-case average of 178 — up 97 percent over two weeks prior, with 35 out of every 100,000 testing positive for COVID each day.

The state had 647 COVID patients in hospitals as of Monday after having only 347 on April 1. For comparison, here's how many COVID hospitalizations the New Jersey Department of Health reported during past pandemic waves:

• April 29, 2020: 6,127 (the state health department's first available day of COVID hospitalization data)
• Dec. 22, 2020: 3,873
• April 7, 2021: 2,378
• Sept. 8: 1,179
• Jan. 11: 6,089

Thanks for reading. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Wayne Patch Facebook Page.