PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — COVID-19 cases are declining in New Jersey, but state health authorities say parents shouldn’t use that as a reason not to get their children vaccinated when they are eligible.
The state’s seven-day average for cases is down more than 30% in the last month and the number of people hospitalized is at the lowest level since August, according to state health department statistics.
“The numbers over the last couple of days are looking better compared to where they were a week ago,” Dr. Ed Lifshitz, the medical director of the state health department’s communicable disease service, said.
“We are seeing improvements across essentially all parts of the state and all age groups to some extent.”
“I think that we have, as we like to say, flattened the curve and we are going down,” Lifshitz said at a Trenton news conference Monday.
“I do think we are going to continue to go down at a gradual pace.”
However, Lifshitz said, reluctant parents should not view that trend as evidence that they don’t need to get their children vaccinated.
Due to the unpredictability of the virus and with children and families gathering more for the upcoming holidays, Lifshitz said children should be vaccinated when they’re eligible.
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“Any risk from the vaccine is clearly lower than the risk of the illness itself,” Lifshitz said, pointing out that COVID is still in the top ten causes of pediatric deaths.
Lifshitz said while nothing is without risk, there’s no evidence the COVID-19 vaccines for children are any riskier than the others they get.
At the same Trenton briefing, officials addressed Election Day voting.
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Secretary of State Tahesha Way said over the last nine days, 208,000 ballots were cast during the first time New Jersey has offered in-person early voting. That represents about 3% of the state’s registered voters.
Asked her thoughts on the response, Way told reporters, “Success is really affording voters all options”
State Police Superintendent Pat Callahan said there were no election cyberthreats to report.
“The last intelligence dissemination report that I received today indicated absolutely no threats uncovered,” Callahan said.