By Allison Perrine
NEW JERSEY – The governor’s office is pleading for young people to take the pandemic and social distancing guidelines seriously after a street party of more than 1,000 individuals, mostly unmasked, was broken up in Seaside Heights.
Substantial COVID-19 positivity rates are increasing among teens and young adults, according to state Commissioner of Health Judy Persichilli. In mid-August, the percent positivity for those 14 to 18 was 3 percent and is now 7 percent, and for those 19 to 24, the positivity rate has risen from 2.7 percent to 7.1 percent currently.
“The positivity rates…today among young people are roughly three times that of the statewide daily average,” said Gov. Phil Murphy Wednesday during a press conference. “Just because you’re young and seemingly invincible doesn’t mean you actually are or that you can’t spread the virus onto someone who may be particularly vulnerable if you yourself are not symptomatic.
A study released by the CDC Tuesday examined 121 deaths of individuals under the age of 21. It found that 70 percent of those deaths were individuals ages 10 to 20, and more than 40 percent were among ages 18 to 20. Of the total deaths, 74 percent were Hispanic and Black children and adolescents; 75 percent had underlying medical conditions such as asthma, obesity, cardiovascular issues and more.
And while symptoms are generally milder in children than adults, the number of cases continues to climb in that population. Many cases are the result of parties and social gatherings, Persichilli added.
“This study demonstrates that those under 21 are still vulnerable to COVID-19,” she said. “All young people should be taking precautions to protect their health and the health of others.”
As of Wednesday, Sept. 16, the cumulative statewide total of COVID-19 cases reached 197,792, with 14,263 confirmed deaths and 1,791 probable additional deaths that have not been lab-confirmed. The positivity rate for all tests recorded Sept. 12 was 2.06 percent.
Aside from COVID-19, the governor also reviewed the current status of U.S. Census responses in New Jersey. On Tuesday, the Department of State announced that the 2020 census has a 68.1 percent self-response rate, which exceeds the response rates of the past three censuses in 1990, 2000 and 2010. And because people are also working with census takers going door to door to households that hadn’t responded yet, the statewide response rate including the self-reporting and door-to-door rate is now over 92 percent. Anyone who hasn’t taken the census still has two weeks to do so.
The governor also reminded residents that they do not need to register to vote by mail in order to receive a ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. All registered voters will automatically receive ballots from their local county clerk’s offices. Return postages will be included. Anyone who does not want to vote by mail through the United States Postal Service may deliver their ballots to drop-box sites within their counties or on Election Day at their polling locations, or they may also vote in-person with paper ballots.
“We have done everything possible to make voting easier and safer given the challenges we are facing from this pandemic,” said Murphy. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 13.
The article originally appeared in the September 17 – 23, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
