Mercer County's COVID-19 Cases: See Updates

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — New data has been released that shows the coronavirus continues to have an impact on Mercer County.

The county reported 106 new cases on Friday.

The latest State Profile Report released by federal officials puts all 21 New Jersey counties in the “high” zone.

COVID death and case rates in 12 counties are the highest in the state. Mercer is not on that list but still faces risk as there are faster-spreading and potentially more harmful variants of the virus present in the state.

The disease’s impact is reflected in the state Department of Health's most recent "COVID-19 Activity Level Report," which is issued weekly. The most recent report, released Thursday, says Mercer County is in the yellow zone.

If the county is in the "orange" zone, it means it has a rate of 10 to 25 cases per 100,000 people. “Yellow” means the county has a rate of 1 to 10 cases per 100,000 people.

If the overall activity is at an "orange" level, state officials say, school districts in those counties would have to take more serious steps — such as quarantining or even shutting down schools — if a child shows the symptoms of COVID-19.

"When it is high risk, there are some recommendations that we make together with local school boards," said Edward Lifshitz, medical director for the state Department of Health.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.