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Dr. Stephanie Silvera Voices Concerns Over Impending Second Wave of COVID-19

Posted in: College News and Events, Public Health

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NJ.com reported, “For the past month, New Jersey’s coronavirus transmission rate has continued to slowly rise, raising questions about whether the state is seeing the start of the predicted and dreaded second wave start to roll onto its shores.”

Lakewood has seen a 20% rise in case numbers over the past week, and others are concerned with a second wave as temperatures drop and the holiday season approaches.

Dr. Stephanie Silvera, Professor in the Public Health Department noted, “I’ve been watching the transmission rate and new cases slowly creep up over the past week or so, and I am definitely concerned that we are at the beginning of the fall spike.”

NJ.com continued, “It’s true that a fall spike would match expectations. It would follow trends seen in both the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and the 1918 flu pandemic. But, if this is the beginning of the second wave, it would be hitting a state that was devastated in the spring that has been under social restrictions for more than half a year. And it would also be coming before colder weather will force people back inside or before the year-end holidays could create a stream of super-spreader events.”

“Get-togethers outside are very different than get-togethers indoors,” Dr. Silvera said, warning that people need to return to the more cautious behavior they showed in the early days of the pandemic. “We’ve got some holidays coming up that we like to celebrate. It’s going to be really important to keep an eye on the numbers.”