NJ’s summer COVID surge — does vaccination still matter?

You may have noticed — COVID-19 is a nuisance in New Jersey right now.

The Garden State is dealing with a summer surge of the illness that essentially shut down the state in 2020.

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the state recorded more than 2,500 lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 tests during the week that ended on Aug. 12. This number doesn't take into account individuals who tested positive with their own tests at home.

The weekly count was 620 in the middle of April.

"Unlike other viral illnesses — let's say, influenza or RSV — which you see peak in early to mid winter, COVID-19 has been somewhat year-round," Dr. Suraj Saggar, chief of infectious disease at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, told New Jersey 101.5.

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And beyond a major spike in the winter months, the yearly pattern suggests an uptick in cases during the summer months can be anticipated.

In fact, toward the end of September 2023, the weekly case count was higher than 4,700, according to NJDOH.

"It continues to evolve," Saggar said of COVID-19. "We have to learn how to live with it. We have to learn how to pivot as it mutates."

Immunity among the public — whether it had been achieved through vaccination or prior infection — appears to be waning, according to Saggar.

As time goes on, fewer residents appear interested in renewing their protection against COVID-19 via vaccination.

The COVID-19 dashboard from NJDOH shows a dramatic decline in vaccination leading up to fall 2023.

Updated vaccines for the 2024-2025 season are expected to be available in the fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, the CDC urges protection for everyone aged 6 months and older who is moderately or severely immunocompromised.

Since the start of 2024, COVID has played a role in more than 1,300 deaths in New Jersey, according to NJDOH.

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