State Health Commissioner Judith Persichelli announced at the public awareness campaign will be launched next week, with youg adults among the targeted audience.
She reiterated during Monday’s COVID-19 briefing that young adults in the Garden State are the fastest-growing group testing positive for the coronavirus because of parties being held among the 18-29 age group. “I want to especially emphasize to our young people that they are not invincible or immune to COVID-19,” she said.
Persichilli offered a reminder about numbers shared last month that showed young adults went from being 12% of all New Jersey cases in April to 22% of total cases in June; that accounts for about 24,000 cases. “More than 730 residents between the ages of 18 and 29 have been hospitalized because of complications from the virus,” she added. “Sadly, there have been 53 deaths among this age group.”
Persichilli said it was vital for young people to understand that “they are part of the solution to the slowing of the transmission of COVID-19.” The campaign will also target people who are at high risk for infection and minority populations that have been disproportionately affected by the virus. Persichilli added that it will underscore the importance of getting tested and taking the phone call from a contact tracer.