Signs the latest COVID outbreak is waning in NJ

There are continuing signs the latest COVID-19 outbreak being fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant is waning.

New Jersey's Rate of Transmission (r/t) has fallen to .88, continuing a week-long trend. For weeks, the r/t had been above one, signaling a expansion of the outbreak.

Now, the CDC's COVID Data Tracker map shows three New Jersey counties have dropped out of the "High" risk of transmission tier.

The CDC map includes four risk levels: low, moderate, substantial and high.

Essex, Mercer and Union Counties are now listed as having a "Substantial" risk of community transmission, which is an improvement.

The level is determined by the number of cases per 100,000 and the positivity rate over the past 7 days. New Jersey's overall spot positivity rate is 4.01%.

Mercer County is now listed as having a spot positivity rate of 2.44%, Essex County at 2.45% and Union County at 2.87%. Only 125 counties out of more than 3,200 nationwide have a community transmission rate listed as "substantial."

The CDC recommends wearing a mask in all indoor locations, regardless of vaccination status in counties where the transmission risk is deemed moderate or higher. Across the entire U.S., fewer than 20 counties are reporting a transmission rate of "low." None of them are in New Jersey. Nearly 3,000 counties, the vast majority of the United States, has a transmission rate of "high."