More and more young residents of NJ are hospitalized with COVID, health officials say

Younger New Jersey people are increasingly hospitalized at higher rates for the coronavirus as the number of new daily cases continues to rise.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Jersey have increased 28% in the past two weeks – a trend officials say. New Models Gov. Phil Murphy, unveiled on Wednesday, showed the latest wave of the pandemic might not peak until mid-May in the worst-case scenario.

But unlike in the early days of the pandemic, it was not the elderly who were driving the increase.

“When we compare hospitalizations in the first and last week of March by age group, we see the percentage of younger people hospitalized,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said at the latest state briefing on coronaviruses in Trenton.

Including:

• A 31% increase in hospitalizations among people aged 20 to 29.
• A 9% increase in people between 30 and 39 years old.
• A 48% increase in people aged 40 to 49.
• A 29% increase in people aged 50 to 59.
• An increase of 27% among those aged 60 to 69.
• A 7% increase among 70 to 79 year olds.
• A 1% increase in people over 80.

A total of 2,363 patients were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases at 71 New Jersey hospitals on Tuesday evening – the most since February 16.

Critical care patients have increased 16% statewide in the past two weeks, Persichilli said, although ventilator use is down 4%. The health commissioner said that the increase in the number of younger hospital patients could explain the decline in these.

The virus has proven to be much more deadly for older residents, especially those with pre-existing conditions. Almost half of the deaths from COVID-19 in the state were among residents aged 80 and over (46.9%), followed by those aged 65 to 79 (32.88%), from 50 to 64 years old (15.68%), 30 to 49 years old (4.06%), 18 to 29 years old. (0.37%), 5-17 (0%) and 0-4 (0.02%).

But officials warn younger people can still suffer from severe cases and can spread the virus to older and more vulnerable people.

New Jersey reported another 4,586 confirmed cases and 44 additional confirmed deaths on Wednesday. The state’s seven-day average for newly confirmed cases is 3,977, up 19% from a week ago and 36% from a month ago.

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Modeling released Wednesday shows the state would peak with 5,405 cases and 2,669 people hospitalized with COVID-19 – including 574 people in intensive care, including 319 on ventilators – on April 18 in a moderate scenario.

In a high scenario, the state would peak at 8,162 cases and 3,644 people hospitalized on May 18, according to the models. There is reportedly a peak of 2,030 intensive care patients, including 778 on ventilators, on May 20.

Persichilli said the state also expected an increase in deaths and warned the state could be in “a long and difficult summer” if those numbers materialize. But she added that hospitalizations are unlikely to reach the level they reached in the first wave last spring and that the state now has adequate supplies to fight the pandemic.

“We have to work together and be vigilant to make sure we don’t back down,” Persichilli said. “We must redouble our efforts. There is still uncertainty ahead with this relentless virus.

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Matt Arco can be reached at [email protected].

Brent Johnson can be reached at [email protected].