Has omicron peaked in NJ? Dr. Stephanie Silvera Weighs In

As of now, the numbers regarding COVID-19 in New Jersey are moving in the right direction.

Dr. Stephanie Silvera, Professor in the Public Health Department, believes we’ve turned a corner when it comes to positive cases and we will probably continue to see a decline.

“As we all now know, hospitalizations, and particularly ICU and ventilator patient data, and deaths are lagging indicators, but the fact that the rate of transmission is back down and the positive test rate is also declining leads me to believe we are now on the other side of this most recent surge,” she said.

She added, “in New Jersey, the next couple of weeks will probably show case rates and hospitalizations continuing to decline, with deaths declining shortly after. Of course if we let our guard down too soon, that could result in another increase in cases so we need to be mindful not to celebrate too soon.” She also noted that people should still wear high-quality masks and get vaccinated or boosted.

Beyond the state’s numbers, looking at data from South Africa and the United Kingdom bodes well for the United States in terms of omicron, Dr. Silvera said.