How Ocean County's Rise In COVID Cases Has Affected Lacey

LACEY, NJ — Ocean became the first county in weeks Thursday to have a single-day triple-digit case increase. Here's how Lacey has been affected.

The Ocean County Health Department reported 385 total coronavirus cases and 10 deaths in Lacey as of Tuesday morning. That's an increase of 17 cases and no new deaths since Lacey Patch's Sept. 8 update.

The OCHD reported 776 new cases but only eight deaths from Sept. 8 to Monday. Lakewood accounts for 319 cases from Sept. 10 to Sunday. The OCHD has reported 12,251 cases and 978 deaths in Ocean County during the pandemic.

From Sept. 8 to Monday, Ocean County's cases increased by 6.76 percent. Lacey's case total increased 4.62 percent from Sept. 8 to Monday.

State officials expressed concerns last week about case increases last week in Ocean County. Officials reported 112 new cases Thursday and 112 on Friday.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said New Jersey has seen new cases linked to not only to celebratory gatherings but also solemn gatherings such as in funerals.

"No matter the reason, this increase in cases reminds us that this virus is unrelenting," she said. "It treats everyone the same. We are fighting an invisible enemy, and we must continue to be cognizant of that fact, and we must continue to be vigilant to protect ourselves and our loved ones."

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Persichilli said four contact tracers have been redeployed to Ocean County to investigate if the new cases are related — and if this means that New Jersey has a new outbreak.

Monmouth County also saw 238 new cases last week (Sept. 13-19). Of those, 49.5 percent involved people under 25 years old, said Freeholder Director Thomas Arnone.

The bulk of those exposures are from youth athletic facilities, school sports practices and gatherings that occurred during Labor Day weekend, said Arnone.

As Patch reported just this past week, there was a cluster of 13 COVID cases among youth ice hockey teams that practice at the Middletown Sports Complex.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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