Since the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020, there have been a total of 2,8454 confirmed (PCR test) and 654 probable (antigen test) COVID-19 cases reported in Springfield Township. The chart to the above shows the trend in newly reported cases throughout the pandemic. Home-based COVID-19 tests are not required to be reported to public health authorities and thus remain unrepresented in case-count data. Fortunately, it appears that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant has begun trending downward, even though overall community transmission remains high. Additionally, breakthrough infections among vaccinated individuals are now more common due to the Omicron variant. According to the CDC Nowcast model, in the week ending January 15, 2022, the Omicron variant is predicted to be identified in 99.8% of samples tested in the NY/NJ region. Total hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also high across New Jersey, although the overall proportion of COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization is lower than the 2020-2021 winter season surge.
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