Only 2 COVID Cases In Summit, Lowest Number Since One Year Ago

SUMMIT, NJ — The city of Summit reached a milestone in the coronavirus pandemic that it hadn't achieved since late June 2020: the Regional Health Department reported only two positive, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the week ending this past Thursday.

Almost a year ago — during the last week in June 2020 after months of lockdowns — Summit went a week without a new case, followed by a week with only one new cases.

But as cases ticked up again starting with holiday weekends in summer and then reopenings in fall, it took a year for the city to see single-digit cases again.

The age breakdown of the two new cases was, according to the city:

• One case aged 18 and younger;
• One case aged 50 to 54.

Since March 2020, there have been 1,774 total cases and 25 coronavirus-related fatalities in Summit. Total case numbers are updated and adjusted weekly following contact tracing interviews.

The city wrote in a weekly update Friday, "According to health officials, infection activity remains at a low level of transmission in Summit. The State of NJ remains at a decreasing but moderate level of transmission. Union County saw an average of 30 new COVID-19 cases each day, no change from last week."

Other updates

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the indoor mask and social distancing mandate as of last Friday for fully vaccinated residents.

As of Monday, 594,000 Americans have died of the virus. 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.

For those not vaccinated, the CDC continues to encourage you to wear a face mask indoors when around others, especially when social distancing is not possible.

The CDC said this month that people can consider themselves "fully vaccinated" and protected two weeks after their final shot. Vaccines are not yet available for children under 12.

While the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from the virus as been declining, some groups are just starting to get vaccinated, including teens. READ MORE: FDA Approves COVID Vaccine For Kids 12+: What It Means In NJ

Last month, a CDC Panel recommended resuming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reviewing reports of 13 women getting blood clots — three fatal — out of 7.98 million receiving the shot. The shot will now come with a warning.

The state of New Jersey's daily death toll was at its lowest last Sept. 8, when only 2 deaths were reported in one day, after a summer of lockdowns. New Jersey's peak daily death toll on April 30, 2020 was 460 fatalities reported in one day. On Sept. 8, only 2 deaths were reported in one day.

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