New Jersey hospitalized patients who tested positive for COVID have surpassed 1,000 for the first time since February and most of the state has again seen the highest transmission rates as a new mutation continues to spread rapidly, according to data from the State Department of Health.
But the directors of some of the largest hospital networks said Tuesday that most COVID patients have mild symptoms and are sent home on medication.
“We’re not seeing a lot of other people admitted for COVID like we did in the winter,” said Deborah Visconi, president and CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, the state’s largest hospital. “They are admitted by other conditions, however, they test positive while they are here. “
The most recent increase in COVID is due to the highly transmissible subvariant omicron BA. 5, which accounts for about 82% of all cases in New Jersey and New York, up from 64% from two weeks ago. So far, BA. 5 has been shown to circumvent some of the protections presented through herbal immunity and existing vaccines, so much so that federal fitness officials have asked vaccine brands to update their formulas to treat the new variant.
As of July 21, all Mercer, Gloucester and Cumberland counties had the highest levels of transmission, a big replacement from just two weeks earlier, when most of the state had average levels. And the number of cases is likely underestimated, as the vast majority of positive cases detected through immediate internal testing are never reported to fitness authorities.
New Jersey is seeing more cases now than at the end of the last two months of July, said Dr. Ed Lifshitz, medical director of the state Department of Health.
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The RWJBarnabas network has around two hundred COVID patients in its 12 hospitals, a jump from 50 in March but far from 1000 in January, a sharp increase caused by the omicron variant.
“It’s definitely veering in the direction,” said Dr. Andy Anderson, medical director of RWJBarnbas. “But overall, other people have had fewer health problems than in the past, and that’s because New Jersey has a very high vaccination rate. . So there’s no doubt it’s spreading, but we’re not seeing the same point of serious illness. “
The number of COVID patients in intensive care was 106 on Monday night, and 42 were on ventilators, a far cry from the first increase in omicrons when extensive care peaked at 919 and ventilators at 566 in mid-January.
“This relief is ultimately the result of 3 factors: first, and most importantly, high degrees of immunity to COVID, second, advanced therapy, and third, the omicron variants are less severe than the previous variants,” Lifshitz said.
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The last time New Jersey saw more than 1,000 hospitalized patients who tested positive for COVID was on Feb. 21. But at the time, the numbers were in free fall from a high of 6,089 on Jan. 11 in the initial omicron boost.
The number of hospitalized COVID patients has increased since the beginning of May, but severe cases have not risen as sharply.
The vast majority of people in All 71 New Jersey hospitals who tested positive for COVID went to seek treatment for another illness and tested positive for the virus. Of the 1,018 COVID hospitalizations on Sunday night, only 33% were admitted with a number one COVID diagnosis.
Bergen New Bridge has noticed COVID spreading to its staff, with around five to six new cases consistent with the day. Employees will have to self-isolate for five days. If they continue to be positive, they will have to self-isolate for another five days. Visconi said staff absences have not been as disruptive as in December and January, when the initial increase in omicron led to widespread staff shortages at state hospitals. .
“The lesson here is that the virus is still there,” he said. “He’s still with us. And we’re seeing an increase, definitely. “
Anderson said he hopes the increase may not prevent patients from seeking their normal care, whether it’s an annual checkup, a cancer screening or an appointment to monitor for a chronic condition.
“Our patients came back slowly, fortunately,” he said. We hope it stays that way. “