HEALTH

Central Jersey COVID-19 cases stabilize; hotspots still popping up

Nick Muscavage
Bridgewater Courier News

The COVID-19 curve has flattened in Central Jersey.

Compared to the huge jumps in the number of cases in April, the numbers have stabilized, though they are still inching upward.

Since the end of May, the number of cases in Middlesex County have risen by 15.6%, compared to 16.5% in Somerset County and 15.7% in Hunterdon County.

In Middlesex, where the population is nearing the combined population of the other two counties, from May 28 to the end of July, the totals had increased from 15,543 cases to 17,973 cases and 960 deaths to 1,188 deaths.

In Somerset on May 28, there were 3,977 cases and 409 deaths. On June 12, those numbers increased to 4,164 and 436, respectively. By July 28, those numbers had increased to 4,637 cases and 482 deaths. 

Over that same time, Hunterdon's numbers increased from 970 cases and 58 deaths to 1,123 cases and 70 deaths.

Testing center staff at Middlesex County's COVID-19 testing facility at the State Motor Vehicle Commission on Rt. 130 in South Brunswick guide a car into the facility Friday, April 10, 2020.

On March 31, Middlesex had only 887 cases. There were 405 cases in Somerset and only 93 in Hunterdon.

And though Central Jersey may have seen its worst in the initial COVID-19 wave, hotspots are still popping up every now and then.

READ:Coronavirus: Bridgewater man dies, wife hospitalized

Hotspots

There are some towns that stand out during the last two months.

On July 28, the South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management sent its weekly COVID-19 report, which stated that there were three new cases recorded in the previous week, "but four new cases in the past two days."

"The new cases may be part of extensive delays in national labs reporting back on test results or it could be a increase in the virus spread," the township OEM said. "We will need to watch over the next two weeks to see additional data."

In the township, where there were 501 cases and 31 deaths as of July 30, officials said they are continuing "to see an increase in younger people testing positive."

Magdalene Holland, 91, was discharged from the COVID-19 isolation unit at Reformed Church Home in Old Bridge after beating the virus on May 15.

READ:NJ man’s COVID-19 death was missing from state’s nursing home statistics

From July 25 to July 28, 57% of those who tested positive were teenagers or in their 20s, according to the township.

"This is a marked change from early in the virus outbreak when many people who tested positive were older adults," the township said.

Township officials also said that social distancing and wearing face coverings have made an impact on the number of positive cases.  

The same has been said by Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch, whose town, as of July 30, had 139 cases and three deaths — some of the lowest numbers in Middlesex County.

By comparison, Middlesex Borough, which has a similar population and total area as Metuchen, had 261 cases and 19 deaths as of July 30.

"After weeks of no new positive cases of coronavirus, we have had three new cases in the last five  days," Busch said on July 29 in a statement on Twitter. "Let’s not squander all we have achieved."

He said the situation "remains very serious" and reminded residents to quarantine if traveling to certain states outside of New Jersey.

"Everyone must wear a mask when they cannot maintain social distance outside," he added.

The highest numbers in Middlesex County consistently have been reported in Perth Amboy, Edison and Woodbridge.

Woodbridge saw an increase of nearly 1,000 new cases over the two months, from 1,955 on May 28 to 2,714 on July 28. Deaths increased from 110 to 140.

Middlesex County officials open a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission Kilmer Vehicle Inspection Center in Edison, NJ Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The site will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 2 pm by appointment only.

Prisons

Union Township in Hunterdon County has recorded some of the most drastic increases in the county, but that may be due to the state prison located in the rural municipality, Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women.

On May 28, there were 216 cases in Union Township and 17 deaths. On July 28, those numbers jumped to 243 cases and 21 deaths.

Clinton Township, home of Mountainview Youth Correctional facility, had 190 cases on May 28 and four deaths.

READ:NJ prisons report more than 150 COVID-19 cases in 3 days

On July 28, the township recorded 210 cases and five deaths.

In Somerset County, Franklin, Hillsborough and Bridgewater have had some of the highest numbers and largest increases in cases and death.

On May 28, there were 1,217 cases and 112 deaths in Franklin, 456 cases and 61 deaths in Bridgewater, and 348 cases and 51 deaths in Hillsborough.

On July 28, there 1,396 cases and 138 deaths in Franklin, 498 cases and 69 deaths in Bridgewater, and 462 cases and 73 deaths in Hillsborough.

The next drive-thru COVID-19 testing at Raritan Valley Community College will be available between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6. Residents need an appointment and a valid form of identification to access the testing center.

Appointments can be scheduled online at somerset-hunterdon.adlabscovidtest.com

Due to increased demand for COVID-19 testing, the Union County Drive-in Test Center located at Kean University in Union Township will expand operations to four days a week.

In Union County, cases increased from 15,031 on May 19 to 16,410 on July 28, according to postings by Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle.

In Westfield, cases increased from 271 on May 19 to 340 on July 28. On May 28, there were 37 fatalities, according to the mayor.

The mayor attributed the spike in early July to graduation and July 4 parties. She did not specify the number of deaths on July 28.

Union County has not reported a town-by-town breakdown of cases and deaths since the onset of the pandemic.

READ:Coronavirus: 940 increase in Central Jersey cases, 42 new deaths; hospitalizations drop

"I continue to receive messages from concerned residents about public social distancing practices," Brindle said in a May briefing. "As a reminder, while it’s not required to wear a face covering when outdoors, the CDC recommends that you do so if you are unable to keep the proper distance from others. I would strongly suggest you do so when you’re downtown as a courtesy to others, due to the numerous curbside pickups."

She also reminded residents to wash their hands and avoid touching their faces.

"Let’s make sure that the effort we have collectively made over the last two months continues by putting public health first," she said.

Those sentiments were echoed by Gov. Phil Murphy at a May news conference after numbers swelled in February and March.

"Today, we find ourselves in a better place because the steps we took had been effective," he said. "The steps you took folks, let there be no doubt, none of us up here had the power to push these curves down. Only the 9 million of you had that power. And because you took this responsibility to heart, they have come down."

Email: ngmuscavage@gannettnj.com

Nick Muscavage is a watchdog reporter for the Courier News, Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to his investigative work that has exposed wrongdoing and changed state law, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.