Percent Of COVID-Vaccinated Westfield Residents Rises; Cases Drop

WESTFIELD, NJ — The percentage of Westfield residents vaccinated continues to climb, as coronavirus cases in town drop to numbers not seen since late last summer.

As of late Friday, 76 percent of adults in Westfield are fully vaccinated, the state of New Jersey said.

Mayor Shelley Brindle said Friday that the Department of Health reported only 9 new cases of COVID-19 in Westfield in the past week (from May 14 through this past Thursday).

The ages of the cases ranged from 8 to 70 years old, broken down as follows:

• Age 9 and under: 1 case
• Age 10-19: 2 cases
• Age 20-29: no cases
• Age 30-39: no cases
• Age 40-49: 2 cases
• Age 50-59: 1 case
• Age 60-69: 2 cases
• Age 70-79: 1 case
• Age 80-89: no cases
• Age 90 and above: no cases

Westfield Regional Health Officer Megan Avallone said that the state now has one region in a "low" activity level, while the rest of the state — including our Central East region (which includes Westfield) — remains at a moderate activity level. Westfield itself is now showing a low level of activity.

Newest Westfield Vaccination Numbers

According to new numbers updated by the state of New Jersey on Friday afternoon, 56 percent of all Westfield residents are fully vaccinated. However, that number includes children under 12, who are not yet eligible for the vaccine. As far as people 18 and over, 76 percent have been vaccinated. For residents 65 and over, 85 percent are fully vaccinated.

The CDC said this month that people can consider themselves "fully vaccinated" and protected two weeks after their final shot.

What percentage of Westfield residents are on their way to full vaccination, having received one dose of the vaccine? 65 percent of both adults and children have received one shot. Of adults (residents 18 and over), 86 percent have received one shot, and the percent for those over 65 is 91 percent.

These numbers climbed slightly from the numbers Mayor Brindle shared Friday that were from the day before, Thursday, May 20. The older numbers showed 73 percent of the entire population vaccinated.

Vaccinating More Westfield Residents

"The Health Department is continuing its efforts to vaccinate individuals in the community who may be difficult to reach," Brindle wrote Friday. "They are partnering with Atlantic Health, local houses of worship, and the private sector to help connect residents with vaccinations, as well as developing door tags with plans to go door-to-door in select areas with vaccination information in both English and Spanish."

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

As of Friday, 589,000 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.

Other information

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.

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

The state's daily death toll has not yet declined to the level of Sept. 8, when only 2 deaths were reported in one day, after a summer of lockdowns.

A week ago Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy Tweeted a positive update:

For the first time in over six months, our number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 has fallen below 1,000. With our numbers trending in the right direction, we can continue fighting back against this virus if we all get vaccinated. — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 13, 2021

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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