2020 has been one heck of a year, but there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. A new report by nonprofit Covid Act Now lists New Jersey as one of four states on track to contain COVID-19. It’s a remarkable turnaround given that New Jersey was the second-worst hit state — behind New York — just a few weeks ago.
On average, each person in New Jersey with COVID is infecting 0.77 other people, reads the report. Because each person is infecting less than one other person, the total number of current cases in New Jersey is shrinking.
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The report also says that New Jersey’s COVID preparedness “meets or exceeds international standards.” Per the report, New Jersey has 2,500 contact tracers. With an average of 333 new daily cases, New Jersey needs 1,665 contact tracers to trace all new cases in 48 hours.
The extra contract tracers means New Jersey can potentially trace 100% of new infections in 48 hours. “When this level of tracing is coupled with widely available testing, COVID can be contained without resorting to lockdowns.”
Jersey City cases also on the decline
On a more local level, coronavirus Jersey City cases have also dropped dramatically to a 7-day average of just 8 new infections per day. That’s not to say everyone should ditch their masks and crowd their local watering hole. However, it’s proof that we’re moving in the right direction.
“A few weeks ago, we were the outlier in terms of the tremendous impact COVID-19 was having on our state, and now we’re an outlier in terms of how well we’ve done to stem the tide,” said Governor Phil Murphy at a press briefing.
Other states on track to contain COVID-19 include New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
Covid Act Now sources their data from the New York Times, The Covid Tracking Project, and Corona Data Scraper. (This Google doc offers details on their methodology).
