Chatham COVID-19 Updates: School News, Vaccine Guidance

CHATHAM, NJ — Here are the latest coronavirus updates around Chatham.

Cases and Vaccinations

Eighteen Chatham Borough residents tested positive for COVID-19 from Feb. 1-4. Local officials have reported 129 cases in 2021 and 374 since the pandemic began. Nine people in the borough have died from the virus.

Chatham Township's case total increased by 21 since the start of February, according to the Morris County Division of Public Health. Officials have logged 384 cases in the township to date, but the county's totals don't include death tolls by municipality.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

The School District of the Chathams reported the following on its COVID-19 dashboard as of Sunday:

The New Jersey Department of Health has reported the following totals in Morris County as of Wednesday morning:

• 192 new confirmed cases
• 25 new probable cases
• 29,255 total confirmed cases
• 4,954 total probable cases
• 867 confirmed deaths
• 216 probable deaths

The state health department has logged 81,067 vaccine doses administered in Morris County as of Wednesday morning — an increase of 19,471 in the past week. That means Morris County improved over the prior week, when 11,703 doses had been administered.

The county and New Jersey hit a snag in vaccinations because of dose shortages that became apparent in January and snow storms in February. Shortages and bad weather caused the Morris County Regional Megasite in Rockaway to close for four straight days.

Morris County has an estimated population of 491,845, and the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each require two doses per person. State officials said in December their goal is to inoculate 70 percent of New Jersey's adults in six months.

Recent Updates

• If New Jersey made teachers eligible for COVID-19 vaccination as soon as
  some thought they would, the School District of the Chathams could have returned to greater normalcy after spring break, according to Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa. But since the state hasn't expanded vaccination eligibility to school staff, Chatham may need to stick with limited in-person schooling beyond that, LaSusa said. MORE.
• Here's how the coronavirus has affected Chatham nursing homes. MORE.
• Check out the latest federal data on hospital capacities in the Chatham area.
• Chatham Patch created a comprehensive guide to finding a COVID-19 vaccine site locally and throughout New Jersey.

Here's what else you should know:

• Five of New Jersey's counties remain in the "red" zone for coronavirus outbreak severity, according to the latest report by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Seven, on the other hand, have been downgraded from the highest threat level over the past two weeks. MORE.
• New Jersey school districts have stepped up their demands to get teachers vaccinated against COVID-19 now that Gov. Phil Murphy has offered a possible timeline for educators to get "shots in the arm." MORE.

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events
to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe
you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd
like to request? Send an email to josh.bakan@patch.com.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store. You can also follow the Chatham Patch Facebook page.