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October 22, 2020

Dr. Stephanie Silvera Comments on the Upcoming Second Coronavirus Wave in New Jersey

Posted in: College News and Events, Public Health

People wait for their breakfast inside of a local diner, in Hoboken, New Jersey in September after the state cleared restaurants for indoor dining at 25% capacity. EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK
People wait for their breakfast inside of a local diner, in Hoboken, New Jersey in September after the state cleared restaurants for indoor dining at 25% capacity. EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Dr. Stephanie Silvera, Professor in the Public Health Department, comments on the upcoming second coronavirus wave in New Jersey.

“The question I think that we don’t have answers for is whether or not the second wave will be higher than the first one. We’re heading into that sort of high risk for community spread designation. We don’t have this contained anymore.”

Dr. Silvera said reopening the economy can give the illusion that everything is safe again, even though that’s not necessarily the case. In New Jersey, gyms, movie theaters, indoor dining and schools all reopened the same week. Then the Jewish holidays arrived and cases began to rise.

But people in their 20s and 30s risk passing on the virus to older parents or grandparents, Silvera pointed out. And even though young people are generally less likely to be hospitalized, there’s still a health risk.