LAKEWOOD, NJ – In the past three days, 100 people have tested positive for COVID-19, just one week according to figures released by the Ocean County Health Department. The increase comes as a New Jersey Health Department report listed the shore area’s COVID-19 risk as “moderate” earlier in the week. According to the Ocean County Health Department daily COVID report, on Monday, Lakewood reported 12 cases, 22 were reported on Tuesday and 71 reported on Wednesday.
A similar, but the smaller increase was reported in Jackson Township with 2 new cases on Monday, and 12 new cases on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
This week, one case was reported at Jackson Memorial High School in Jackson and several students in the district remained quarantined, but have yet to go to school. Those infections were not related to inter-student activity and those students have been in quarantine since before the school year began last week.
Overall on Wednesday in Ocean County, 121 new cases were reported, the highest number reported since May 4th. A recent upward trend in COVID-19 cases in Ocean County has been reported by the Ocean County Health Department.
This week, officials in the county are concerned about the uptick, and a huge gathering of between 1,000 and 2,000 young adults at a Nelk Boys event held in Seaside Heights.
“The Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) website at www.ochd.org has been updated with the newest COVID-19 case count for Ocean County,” the county health department posted today. “There are 112 new positive cases reported in Ocean County. The additional cases bring the total number of positive COVID-19 cases to 11,868 as of 10:30am Wednesday, September 16, 2020 between the Ocean County and Long Beach Island Health Departments.”
The county did not provide any further break downs of the reported cases based on age, nor has it released any information from Governor Phil Murphy’s army of 2,000 contact tracers regarding the most recent flareup.
This week, the county also reported several Lakewood Police Officers have been quarantined after it was learned that at least one attendee at a public funeral for a fallen police officer was diagnosed as COVID-19 positive. Today marks the 183rd day since Governor Phil Murphy announced closures for two weeks in New Jersey to flatten the curve.
This is the second week of schools being opened in Ocean County, but the health department has not said if the new flare-up is related to the reopening of schools.
“We are spiking here in Ocean County,” said Ocean County Freeholder. “We had 121 new cases this week and Lakewood had 71.”
