Ocean Co. Leads With 12 Cases Of COVID Variant Spreading In NJ

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Twelve people in Ocean County have tested positive for the more-contagious variant of the coronavirus that originated in the United Kingdom, the highest number of cases in New Jersey, state officials said Monday.

There are 31 cases that have been detected statewide, said Judith Persichilli, the state health commissioner, during her update on the virus. Of the 31 cases, three are in people who had traveled, she said. She did not say whether any of the cases linked to travel were from Ocean County.

Burlington County and Essex County each have reported four cases, and neighboring Monmouth County has had two, Persichilli said. Middlesex and Morris counties each have two cases of the variant, and Atlantic, Hudson, Mercer, Passaic and Warren each have one case, she said.

Officials have been keeping an eye on the spread of the more-contagious variant of the virus, which first was detected in Ocean County in early January. That case, in a man in his 60s who had not traveled or had a clear exposure to others who were sick, was the first in the state. That man later recovered, but officials reported in late January the death of a Wayne man who had significant underlying symptoms, due to complications of COVID-19 caused by the UK variant.

The variant, first seen in the United Kingdom, is about 50 percent more contagious than the "wild-type" virus being seen, according to David Cennimo, a pediatric infectious disease expert and assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Brian Lippai, public information officer for the Ocean County Health Department, said he did not have specifics on the 12 Ocean County cases.

“I only know that many cases have been from people that have traveled,” Lippai said. “It’s certainly something the state and we are monitoring. More cases are to be expected but we are still learning about how much protection is being provided by the new vaccines.”

Gov. Phil Murphy said the concern about the variants underscores the need for New Jersey residents to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.

“It’s a big part of the reason we’re being cautious,” Murphy said, noting that Persichilli and her staff are “watching like a hawk.”

“We want to make sure we’re not taking anything that’s an unknown for granted,” he said.

The transmission rate has dropped both statewide and in the central region of the state, which includes Ocean County. Statewide the transmission rate was 8.5, and in Ocean County it was 8.73, Persichilli said.

And while those numbers were encouraging, Murphy said it was important to continue all of the efforts while the state keeps distributing the vaccine.

“This is not an either-or for the next few months for us,” he said. “Keep doing this (masks and distancing) plus the vaccine.”

With reporting by Montana Samuels

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