Hoboken Has Another Coronavirus Fatality, Gives Case Updates

HOBOKEN, NJ — Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in his weekly coronavirus update on Monday that the city was notified of another resident who passed away from coronavirus, bringing the city's death toll from the virus in the past 13 months to 50. Hoboken's hospital is currently treating 14 residents with the virus, three of whom live in Hoboken, the mayor said.

Statewide, 2,375 people are hospitalized with the virus.

The Hoboken resident who passed away was in his 70s, the mayor said.

Total cases reported in the last seven days are fewer than the previous weeks. Officials expect numbers to increase when residents return from Spring Break.

The numbers are:

• April 5: 24
• April 6: 23
• April 7: 55
• April 8: 30
• April 9: 14
• April 10: 9
• April 11: 17

Total: 172

During the previous seven-day period, from March 29 through April 4, the city saw 221 new cases, according to that week's update. That was a rise from previous week-long periods announced in March: 193 people, 163, and 188.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Hoboken has had 4,704 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

When and where to get tested in Hoboken after break

Bhalla said that if someone has traveled outside of New Jersey or overseas on vacation or spring break, they should get tested at least 3-5 days after returning, and quarantine for seven days.

Students returning to the Hoboken public school buildings next week are being required to get a test before returning.

"While fully vaccinated individuals who travel domestically no longer need to quarantine or get tested before or after travel, the CDC recommends those who are fully vaccinated and travel internationally still get tested 3-5 days after returning," Bhalla said.

Find out more about testing here: http://www.hobokennj.gov/testing.

Vaccination updates

Bhalla said, "With virtually all seniors who have requested a vaccine having been granted one, COVID-19 cases among residents ages 65+ and our high-risk populations have dropped significantly in recent weeks."

The mayor encouraged residents who are eligible to sign up for a vaccine before the state opens vaccines up to anyone 16 or over on April 19. Register here: http://www.hobokennj.gov/vaccine.

You can also sign up at various locations around Hudson County, including local pharmacies, or get a volunteer to walk you through it. Check out Patch's comprehensive updated list of locations and helpers: READ MORE: Hudson County Covid Vaccine Updates: More Sites And Eligibility

People ignoring contract tracers' questions

Bhalla said, "Unfortunately, we are seeing a rising rate of non-compliance, with examples including family members who test positive allowing other household members to interact with community members instead of quarantining, as recommended by our health department."

He said, "While I completely understand that many of us have COVID-19 fatigue, it’s important to remember that the goal of our health officers is not to burden residents, but rather to provide important guidance."

Read the rest of the mayor's latest message here.

State hospitalization and variant numbers

As the vaccination rollout continues in New Jersey, coronavirus cases are not expected to decline just yet.

In New Jersey, on Friday, there were 43 new confirmed deaths since the day before. The state has seen a total of 22,253 total confirmed deaths from the virus.

As of the most recent hospitalization count on Wednesday, 2,375 people were currently hospitalized with the virus, 455 of those in critical care. There are 827 reports of CDC variants of concern.

The state's daily death toll has never declined to Sept. 8, when only 2 deaths were reported in one day. New Jersey's peak daily death toll on April 30, 2020 was 460 fatalities reported in one day. The numbers then steadily dropped until September, when they began rising again.

As of Monday, across the country, approximately 562,000 Americans had died of the virus. (You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map.)

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