Bergen Wastewater Tests Signal Increase In Community COVID Spread

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — County officials are urging residents to remain vigilant in their COVID-19 mitigation measures after recent testing delivered concerning results.

Bergen County’s ongoing wastewater testing program indicates that the current concentration levels of COVID-19 are similar to those from the late fall and early winter of 2020, which were followed by a spike in cases.

There were 7,210 new positive coronavirus cases in Bergen County in March, county officials said.

"The fact that community spread is trending towards the levels we saw post-Thanksgiving last year is troubling," said Hansel Asmar, Bergen County Department of Health Services director. "We need to double down on our collective efforts to reduce the spread. If the virus continues to mutate at the current pace, new-vaccine resistance variants could very well prolong this fight even further."

County officials are reasserting their dedication to protective measures even as inoculations rise across the county, urging a continued commitment to mask wearing and social distancing.

"While vaccination efforts continue and more residents are receiving their doses each and every day, we are not at herd immunity and the virus still poses a very real threat. This is not the time to let our guard down," said County Executive Jim Tedesco.

Over 475,932 doses of COVID-19 vaccine has been administered in Bergen County as of April 1, according to Tedesco.

"This is positive news but does not mean we are in the clear. Please remain ever-vigilant as we make our way towards herd immunity," he said.

New Jersey Department of Health models project that the number of new coronavirus cases in New Jersey will hover around 5,000 for most of April as the number of vaccinations continue to increase across the Garden State.

In the worst case scenario, though, the state could be looking at 8,000 new cases daily in the spring, Gov. Phil Murphy said during a recent news conference. Read more: Spring COVID Spike Probable In NJ, New Modeling Shows

Both numbers are much smaller than the models projected for the Garden State at this same time last year, however.

Wastewater Testing Program

The county started the wastewater testing program last year through a partnership with Columbia University and engineering firm AECOM to monitor COVID-19 RNA in wastewater at the Bergen County Utilities Authority wastewater system.

It was created with funding from a National Science Foundation Grant and CARES Act dollars, county officials said.

The data "has proven a useful indicator for spotting upticks in community spread of COVID-19."

"By testing the wastewater entering the Bergen County Utilities Authority’s (BCUA’s) wastewater system for COVID-19, public health experts and local officials have a snapshot of the presence of the virus in the community," said Robert Laux, executive director of the Bergen County Utilities Authority.

Town Updates

Here are the latest town-by-town COVID-19 totals from Tedesco, as of March 31:

• Allendale: 493
• Alpine: 116
• Bergenfield: 2,875
• Bogota: 753
• Carlstadt: 591
• Cliffside Park: 2,324
• Closter: 575
• Cresskill: 710
• Demarest: 321
• Dumont: 1,418
• East Rutherford: 875
• Edgewater: 864
• Elmwood Park: 2,312
• Emerson: 738
• Englewood: 2,539
• Englewood Cliffs: 308
• Fair Lawn: 2,732
• Fairview: 1,763
• Fort Lee: 2,307
• Franklin Lakes: 889
• Garfield: 3,424
• Glen Rock: 683
• Hackensack: 4,148
• Harrington Park: 282
• Hasbrouck Heights: 1,009
• Haworth: 247
• Hillsdale: 717
• Ho-Ho-Kus: 255
• Leonia: 544
• Little Ferry: 989
• Lodi: 2,774
• Lyndhurst: 2,573
• Mahwah: 1,357
• Maywood: 846
• Midland Park: 499
• Montvale: 417
• Moonachie: 314
• New Milford: 1,515
• North Arlington: 1,769
• Northvale: 364
• Norwood: 536
• Oakland: 952
• Old Tappan: 364
• Oradell: 641
• Palisades Park: 1,251
• Paramus: 2,964
• Park Ridge: 615
• Ramsey: 903
• Ridgefield: 1,048
• Ridgefield Park: 1,127
• Ridgewood: 1,249
• River Edge: 715
• River Vale: 349
• Rochelle Park: 623
• Rockleigh: 207
• Rutherford: 1,322
• Saddle Brook: 1,339
• Saddle River: 558
• South Hackensack: 295
• Teaneck: 3,308
• Tenafly: 875
• Teterboro: 16
• Upper Saddle River: 173
• Waldwick: 713
• Wallington: 1,011
• Washington Township: 605
• Westwood: 1,325
• Woodcliff Lake: 603
• Wood-Ridge: 846
• Wyckoff: 1,427
• Bergen County - No Town Attribution: 2,112

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