By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
January has seen the largest spike of new COVID-19 cases in Cape May County since the pandemic began last March, but the state Department of Health reports more than 5,000 vaccines had been administered in the county since they became available.
On Sunday, the county Department of Health noted it has administered 2,339 doses of vaccine – including 268 on Friday, Jan. 15 alone.
“We know there is still much work to be done, but it is important when we hit major number milestone in vaccinations to tell our residents that the hard work is starting to pay off,” county Commissioner Jeff Pierson, liaison to the Health Department, said in a press release issue Sunday evening. “We thank our residents and businesses for working so well together over what is almost a year now and remind people to continue to keep themselves and their families safe.”
The Department of Health asks residents to wear face coverings, wash hands, use disinfectants and social distance to help the “Finish Strong – Safely Together” campaign.
There were 37 new cases reported Sunday in the communities and eight in long-term care, and 51 and 13, respectively, on Saturday. All 13 in long-term care Sunday were in Woodbine. There were 51 new cases in the community and seven in long-term care reported Friday, and 63 and eight, respectively, on Thursday.
Long-term care cases jump in Ocean City, Woodbine
Although cases in the communities had been above 600 as recently as Saturday, that number had dropped to 569 as of Sunday, but there were 41 cases in long-term care, including 11 in Ocean City, 21 in Woodbine and eight in Middle Township. There was only one case among non-residents and that was in Cape May.
Of the 569 active cases Sunday, 122 were in Middle Township, 108 in Lower Township, 87 in Upper Township and 82 in Ocean City.
Other active cases included Wildwood (38), Dennis Township (31), North Wildwood (22), Wildwood Crest (21), Cape May (19), Woodbine (15), Sea Isle City (7), West Cape May and Avalon (5 each), Stone Harbor (4) and Cape May Point (3). There were no active cases in West Wildwood.
The death toll among residents has risen to 64 in the communities and 88 in long-term care.
Lower Township has the most community fatalities (16), followed by Middle Township (12), Ocean City (7), Upper Township (6), Wildwood and Woodbine (5 each), Dennis Township (4), Cape May and North Wildwood (3 each), Sea Isle City (2) and Wildwood Crest (1).
There have been no COVID-19-related fatalities in Avalon, Cape May Point, Stone Harbor, West Cape May and West Wildwood.
For long-term care facilities, Lower Township has had the most fatalities (33), followed by Dennis Township (19), Middle Township (13), Ocean City (12) and Woodbine (11).
Over the past week, deaths reported included a 93-year-old female from Middle Township on Jan. 16, a 77-year-old male from Lower Township on Jan. 14, and a 66-year-old male from Ocean City and an 81-year-old male from Middle Township on Jan. 12.
County data
According to data provided by the Cape May County Department of Health, 58 percent of the fatalities (88) due to COVID-19 have been in long-term care with the other 42 percent (64) in the communities.
Of the fatalities, 81 percent were among residents over 65 years of age, 10 percent were those 61-65, 3 percent were 56-60, 4 percent were 46-50 and 1 percent 51-55.
The most cases, however were among those 41 to 65 and nearly equaled by those 18 to 40.
Cases are almost evenly split between genders, with 51 percent of cases among females and 49 percent among males.
