Hoboken Reports 2 More COVID Deaths; New Cases Start Declining

HOBOKEN, NJ — While the rate of new coronavirus cases in Hoboken has been starting to decline for the first time since the winter holidays, the virus is also still taking lives.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in an update on Monday that two coronavirus fatalities were reported to the city's Health Department in the past week. City spokesman Vijay Chaudhuri said that the cases are both from April.

The rate of new cases has been declining in the past few weeks, although it has never declined to the period after the lockdowns last summer when — at one point in June — Hoboken went a week with only one new case.

The city reported these new confirmed cases from the Hoboken Health Department:

• April 27: 12
• April 28: 4
• April 29: 8
• April 30: 12
• May 1: 0
• May 2: 3

Total: 39

This total of 39 new cases in six days is a decrease from the previous six-day total of 65 cases the week before. (READ MORE: Hoboken's Coronavirus Case Numbers Are Finally Falling.)

Seven people are battling the virus in the city's hospital, and statewide, 1,768 people were hospitalized with the virus in New Jersey as of Wednesday, 375 of those in critical care, according to the most recent hospitalization statistics.

Hoboken vaccine numbers and walk-in shots

On a positive note, Hoboken now has enough of a supply of vaccines that walk-ins will be permitted at one of Hoboken's vaccine locations this week. Hoboken also offers the shot at other locations by appointment. READ MORE: Hoboken Offers Walk-In COVID Vaccines Tuesday

Bhalla also noted that as of Thursday evening, 25,088 Hoboken residents were provided with at least a first Moderna or Pfizer dose of the vaccine, or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot. Out of those, 14,399 are fully vaccinated.

The total population of people 18 and over in Hoboken is approximately 45,000, according to 2010 census numbers.

"According to statistics provided by the state of New Jersey, Hoboken remains in line with the vaccination rates with the rest of the state," Bhalla said.

On Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy said 3 million New Jersey residents have been vaccinated. The announcement came on a sad day: The anniversary of New Jersey's highest one-day death toll of 460 people dying of the virus in 24 hours, or one every 3 minutes. Deaths began to decline after that, but began rising again in fall.

Studies have shown that the vaccine is at least 95 percent effective against the virus, and among those who still get it, it's said to greatly reduce the chance of hospitalization and death.

In his update on Monday, Bhalla gave a list of places to get the vaccine, including walk-up locations. He also gave links to places to get tested. Read his update for more information here.

Find out where else to get vaccinated around Hudson County here.

In Hoboken, there have been a total of 4,941 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, and 52 fatalities.

County and national deaths

As of this past Friday, 2,005 Hudson County residents have passed away from the virus since the pandemic reached the United States. This was 14 new fatalities since a week ago, when the toll was 1,991.

As of Monday, across the country, approximately 577,270 Americans have died of the virus, 5,000 more than a week earlier. You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map, and see how each county is doing with this CDC link.

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