The Rise of Covid-19 Cases in New Jersey

As the holiday season of 2021 ended, Covid-19 cases increased in all of New Jersey. Due to the new Covid variant, Omicron, cases have risen on the Northeast side more than any other in the United States. 

While Omicron cases go up, the staff at hospitals go down. About 24% of hospitals in the U.S. have reported critical staff shortage. “And of that it's going to be much, much more difficult because we have a large proportion of the population that is not vaccinated,” said Dr. Anish Jha, Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. Overall, people who aren’t vaccinated make it much more difficult for Covid-19 cases to go down. 

To help New Jersey, Governor Murphy signed an executive order to extend a public health emergency. This will help citizens who are tested positive for covid 19 to get the medical attention they need right away. 

“As we move to extend vaccine eligibility to all residents of our state, the need for all available sources could not be more important,” said Governor Murphy. As Governor Murphy plays his part in trying to lower the number of covid cases, New Jersey citizens must play a part too by wearing a mask, getting vaccinated, and staying cautious with the people that they are around. 

New Jersey, as a whole, has had over 1.6 million covid cases and 26 thousand plus deaths due to Covid.