By Stephanie Carey, Montgomery Health Officer
In late August, the State of New Jersey announced that Montgomery and Somerset County are in the “green zone,” meaning “low prevalence” of COVID-19. This is great news, and a testament to the determination of our residents, elected leaders, and health professionals in following health guidance from state leaders and the Centers for Disease Control.
Even though we are in the green zone, we must remain vigilant until the pandemic is over. We must continue to social distance, wear masks, avoid indoor gatherings, and frequently wash hands.
In Montgomery, we have special reason to be proud of our success. My department has experienced a 95% cooperation rate during contact tracing phone calls, which means that people who test positive, their family members, and friends are agreeing to speak with us to help identify others who are at risk of infection. This helps us minimize the risk of further virus transmission. In other communities, the cooperation rate is only slightly above 50%. Residents have earned an “A” for contact tracing.
Back in June, I wrote an article that favorably compared the COVID-19 cases in Montgomery to other communities. I thought this would be a good time to update that analysis.
How Has Montgomery Fared?
As of mid-August, we have had 135 cases and 7 deaths in Montgomery. Thankfully, it has now been more than two months since a Montgomery resident has died of COVID-19.
The worst cases and deaths are sources of great sorrow to the affected families and friends. Yet when you compare Montgomery to other areas, we fared much better than most communities, for a variety of reasons, including the excellent compliance of our residents with CDC and New Jersey state orders.
The chart below looks at the number of cases relative to population. Montgomery Township has had 5.9 COVID cases for every 1,000 residents, which is dramatically lower than the rates statewide (21.4) or throughout Somerset County (16.2). Our rate of cases also is lower than every one of our major neighboring towns.
