TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of health has reported 200,000 cases of COVID-19 among the fully vaccinated and boosted during the 30 day period of the omicron spike. The news comes as Governor Phil Murphy continues touting vaccinations and booster shots, but no longer to stop the spread of the virus, now, he says, the shots are necessary to lessen the severity of the virus.
During today’s weekly COVID-19 press conference, Governor Phil Murphy released data that shows over 200,000 fully vaccinated and boosted New Jerseyans contract COVID over the past 30 days. That number is compared to 304,000 cases among the unvaccinated during the same time period.
Although cases of COVID-19 among the unvaccinated are resulting in more severe cases, including hospitalizations, ICU stays, and ventilators, the unvaccinated are not free and clear of the virus, according to the governor’s office.
Fully boosted New Jerseyeans are 66% less likely to die from COVID-19 related illness, according to state data released on Monday. 1 in 100,000 fully boosted New Jerseyeans, 23, have died in the past month. 104 vaccinated New Jerseyans, 3 per 100,000 have died during that same period while 319, or 10 in 100,000 unvaccinated residents have died.
2,422 unvaccinated New Jerseyans have been hospitalized with COVID, compared to 1,328 vaccinated and 310 boosted patients during the prior 30 day period.
In total, 212,000 vaccinated New Jerseyans, officially have tested positive for COVID-19. That number does not include possibly an equal amount of New Jerseyans who tested positive with at-home testing kits who did not report their results to local health officials.
“This is during the raging days of omicron, so keep that in mind,” Murphy said. “We were being inundated with that variant and gives us a clear picture of the importance of the boosters.”
Murphy pleaded once again for unvaccinated New Jerseyans to get their booster shot in case, “a new variant tries to establish itself and upend everything as omicron tried to do.”
The governor once again said that as soon as everyone is boosted, people can eventually return to normal, a message he has been touting since March of 2020 when he declared a two week lockdown to soften the curve in an attempt to lessen the COVID-19 impact on hospitals.
Two years later, virtually nothing has changed in the COVID-19 messaging from the Governor’s office.