Congressman Kim - Coronavirus Update – November 2022
NJ COVID-19 Cases Update (as of 11/21/22 at 12:00 p.m.)
- +762 NEW COVID-19 cases statewide
- 7-day average of NEW cases a day: 1,576
- +6 NEW fatalities / total (cumulative) fatalities in New Jersey: 31,934
- 78% of New Jersey residents of all eligible ages are fully vaccinated
- +39 NEW cases in Burlington County
- The COVID-19 community risk level in Burlington County is currently medium.
- 78% of Burlington County residents of all eligible ages are vaccinated
- 18 Long Term Care facilities with ACTIVE outbreaks
- Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Burlington County residents who are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions. All should stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms. People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
- +43 NEW cases in Ocean County
- The COVID-19 community risk level in Ocean County is currently medium.
- 56% of Ocean County residents of all eligible ages are vaccinated
- 33 Long Term Care facilities with ACTIVE outbreaks
- Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Ocean County residents who are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions. All should stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms.People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
Visit COVID19.nj.gov for the most up-to-date information and access to the full data dashboard.
You can also download the COVID Alert NJ Mobile App, for iPhone or Android.
Updates from the White House, State and Congressman Kim
CDC Mask Recommendations
CDC mask recommendations are based on their COVID-19 Community Level tool, which was released in February. The guidelines, which classify the country into low, medium, and high levels of COVID-19, provide individuals with an understanding of what precautions they should consider based on the level of disease in their community, their underlying risk, and their own risk tolerance. The metrics are based on hospitalizations and case rates. CDC metrics available online are updated every Thursday.
As of today, Burlington and Ocean Counties are considered MEDIUM RISK, according to the CDC. Therefore, federal recommendation is that people may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness. If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms
0 counties in New Jersey are currently considered high risk. The recommendations do not trigger any mask requirements in New Jersey.
N95 masks are available for free at pharmacies, retailers, and community health centers.
General COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Anyone six-months old or above who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information about current eligibility, statewide vaccination site locations, and to preregister for vaccination, visit COVID-19.nj.gov/vaccine.
The New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center can also be reached at: 1-855-568-0545
Find additional vaccination information specific for veterans, businesses, seniors, and children online and/or request a new copy of your vaccination card.
Booster Information
General CDC Information on Updated Bivalent Boosters
- Updated “bivalent” boosters protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5.
- Previous boosters are called “monovalent” because they were designed to protect against the original virus that causes COVID-19. They also provide some protection against Omicron, but not as much as the updated (bivalent) boosters.
- The virus that causes COVID-19 has changed over time. The different versions of the virus that have developed over time are called variants.
- Two COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, have developed updated (bivalent) COVID-19 boosters.
The FDA and CDC have authorized booster shots for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is now only authorized for use in a primary series. Novavax, which was first authorized in July 2022, is not authorized for use as a booster dose at this time. CDC recommendations vary as outlined below.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.
- COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, are recommended for everyone ages five years and older.
- Novavax is not authorized for use as a booster dose at this time. If you received the Novavax vaccine for your primary series, those 12 years and older are recommended to get the bivalent Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for their booster shot.
- If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for your primary series and are 18 years and older, it is recommended that you get the bivalent Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for your booster shot.
- The updated Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster is recommended for people 5 years of age or older. At this time, people 5 years old can only receive the updated bivalent Pfizer booster. Children ages 6 to 17 years old can receive the Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster.
- This includes people who have received all primary series doses and people who have previously received one or more original (monovalent) boosters.
Information on Mixing COVID-19 Vaccine Products:
Primary series
CDC does not recommend mixing products for your primary series doses. If you received Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax for the first dose of your primary series, you should get the same product for all following primary series doses.
Boosters
- People ages 6 years and older may get a different product for their bivalent booster than they got for their primary series. People ages 6 and older can no longer get a monovalent mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster.
- 5 year-olds may only get the updated bivalent mRNA Pfizer booster and can no longer get an original monovalent mRNA booster. You can still receive this booster whether you received the Pfizer or Moderna primary series.
- Children younger than 5 years old are not recommended to receive a booster at this time.
The CDC considers people to be up to date if:
- They have completed their primary series and the most recent booster recommended for them.
On Tuesday, March 29th, the CDC recommended a second booster shot of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised individuals over age 12 and adults 50 and older at least four months after their first booster.
People ages 18 through 49 years who got a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for both their primary dose and booster can choose to get a 2nd booster of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after their 1st booster. The 2nd booster is not required to be considered up to date for people ages 18 through 49 years who got a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for both their primary dose and 1st booster.
COVID-19 Testing
You can find a testing location near you here and here, order a free saliva test shipped directly to your door online, or find out more information about public testing sites, including pop-up sites.
The NJ Department of Health and Vault Medical Services are continuing to offer free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits. These are available to all, even if you are symptom-free. To order a free test kit, visit learn.vaulthealth.com/nj.
For those who are blind or have low-vision, more accessible testing options can be ordered online or by calling 1-800-232-0233.
You can also purchase up to eight at-home, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests a month upfront and then submit a claim for reimbursement to your insurance company. If you purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 test from a pharmacy, store, or online retailer and are charged for your test, keep your receipt and submit a claim to your insurance company for reimbursement. People with Medicare can get up to eight tests per month from participating pharmacies and health care providers. Here is a list of the pharmacies participating in Medicare’s over-the-counter tests initiative.
Additional Resources
We have compiled additional COVID-19 information and resources regarding transportation, returning to work, rental assistance, funeral reimbursement, and healthcare subsidies.
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The Office of Congressman Andy Kim
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