COVID-19 is surging again in New Jersey. And while the omicron variant of the coronavirus undoubtedly is spreading here, it’s as a result of the delta variant that hospital beds are filling at a rate that’s up 25% over the past week or so — to more than 1,200 patients statewide. Most people who are hospitalized are unvaccinated, but doctors report a growing trend: “The concerning thing is, around a quarter of the people we’re seeing in the hospital are fully vaccinated folks,” said Dr. Dan Varga, chief physician executive at Hackensack Meridian Health.
Varga said evidence among his own staff suggests 80% of breakthrough cases are occurring about six months after people received their second COVID-19 shot. This underlines how critical booster shots are, Varga said. “…it’s clear that the degree to which everybody gets boosted will determine what the next 90 days looks like for us.”
