Amanda Reimer, 22, a New Jersey college student taking a train into Manhattan, said she’s vaccinated but worried about the uptick. She and her family decided to restrict their holiday meal to immediate family, celebrating with others on Zoom.
Waning Immunity
The latest Covid surge is happening across the nation, but the northeastern U.S. is the latest hot spot as more people gather indoors because of cold weather and the holiday season. While most of the new cases are among the unvaccinated, there are more infections among those who have had two doses of the vaccine and are experiencing waning immunity.
In New York state, there were 17.6 breakthrough cases per 100,000 vaccinated people in the week starting Nov. 22, compared to just 1.3 per 100,000 vaccinated people in July, according to state data. However, breakthrough hospitalizations remain low: There were 0.91 hospitalizations per 100,000 vaccinated people in the week starting Nov. 22, compared to 9.9 per 100,000 unvaccinated people during the same period.
In New Jersey, hospitalizations have more than doubled in a month to 1,756 on Dec. 15. Still, they were more than 3,600 a year ago, and at its worst point were more than 6,000.
Statewide, about 20% of New Jersey’s hospital patients were breakthrough cases in December, compared to 1% in the last week of October, officials said. At the University Hospital in Newark, about half of new Covid-19 admissions in recent days were people who were fully vaccinated, according to Shereef Elnahal, CEO of the hospital and former New Jersey health commissioner.
Booster doses are no longer a bonus but a necessity, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at a briefing this week. But even with a booster, catching the virus is still possible.
Marc Rosenberg, 33, attended an LCD Soundsystem concert on Saturday with a group of about 15 friends who are fully vaccinated. As of Thursday morning, eight tested positive for Covid, including himself, who got a booster before Thanksgiving.
Rosenberg, who works at a tech startup, stayed home from work and canceled plans to visit his family in Massachusetts next week. The experience has “definitely made me reconsider if I should do indoor dining or go to a bar,” he said.
“It feels like we’re at that point again,” he said.
--With assistance from Norah Mulinda, Keshia Clukey, Jenny Surane, Skylar Woodhouse and Bill Austin.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.