How Much Is COVID Spreading In Greater Morristown Amid Omicron?

Josh Bakan
·5 min read
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MORRISTOWN, NJ — The spread of COVID-19 in Morris County and New Jersey has recently decreased, with a gradual decline in new daily cases since early January. But the Garden State continues to see high death tolls from the virus, with Gov. Phil Murphy reporting 151 new COVID-19 fatalities Wednesday.

Thirty-three people in Morris County died from COVID-19 in the past week — a 6.45 percent rise over the prior week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here's what's happening around Greater Morristown

Cases

Morris County averaged 366.2 infections per day this past week, according to the state health department. That's an improvement over the prior week, when the county averaged 937.3 new cases per day. The week before, Morris County averaged 1,422.9 new cases per day, according to state data.

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.

Here are the local case numbers:

  • Morristown saw 174 new cases from Jan. 14 to Tuesday, bringing the town to 4,240 cases since the pandemic began, according to Morris County data. That's a 4.3 percent increase to Morristown's infection total in 11 days.

  • Officials reported 256 Morris Township infections in that span, putting the township at 3,603 cases since the onset of the pandemic. The case total increased 7.6 percent from Jan. 14 to Tuesday.

  • Morris Plains's case total grew from 1,124 to 1,198 for a 6.6 percent increase in 11 days.

Hospital Data

The number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in New Jersey hospitals has recently declined. The state's previously rising COVID hospitalization total peaked at 6,089 patients Jan. 11 and has since reduced to 3,858 people as of Tuesday.

Hospital-specific data, which comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only reflects hospital capacities through the week ending Jan. 21. The most recent week of data indicates strain on many local hospitals as of last week.

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 fell into the data categories of high or extreme stress for the week ending Jan. 21. Here's what federal officials reported in that timeframe:

  • Morristown Medical Center: COVID-19 patients occupied 20 percent of adult inpatient beds and 20 percent of adult ICU beds.

  • Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: COVID-19 patients occupied 23 percent of adult inpatient beds and 38 percent of adult ICU beds.

  • Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains): COVID-19 patients occupied 28 percent of adult inpatient beds and 27 percent of adult ICU beds.

  • Kindred Hospital New Jersey (Dover): COVID-19 patient data unavailable.

  • Overlook Medical Center (Summit): COVID-19 patients occupied 21 percent of adult inpatient beds and 34 percent of adult ICU beds.

  • Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): COVID-19 patients occupied 32 percent of adult inpatient beds and 27 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. 21:

  • Morristown Medical Center: 75 percent of adult inpatient beds and 63 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.

  • Saint Clare's Denville Hospital: 64 percent of adult inpatient beds and 68 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.

  • Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains): 71 percent of adult inpatient beds and 49 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.

  • Kindred Hospital New Jersey (Dover): 86 percent of adult inpatient beds were in use. ICU data was unavailable.

  • Overlook Medical Center (Summit): 61 percent of adult inpatient beds and 34 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.

  • Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston): 91 percent of adult inpatient beds and 52 percent of adult ICU beds were in use.

Vaccine Data

As of Wednesday, 48.2 percent of Morris County's fully vaccinated population received the COVID-19 booster shot, according to the CDC.

The agency reported that 79.1 percent of Morris County's vaccine-eligible population — people 5 and older — have completed their first COVID vaccine course. As of Wednesday, 93.4 percent of Morris County residents 5 and older have received at least one COVID shot.

What Else To Know

  • Last week, the White House announced that 400 million N95 masks would be made available for free to all Americans. Pharmacies including Walgreens, Walmart, Wegmans and CVS will begin offering free N95 masks Friday at participating stores across the country. Read more.

  • The omicron coronavirus surge may have peaked in New Jersey, according to health experts, offering a glimmer of hope for Americans as the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the two-year mark. Read more.

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This article originally appeared on the Morristown Patch