By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Active COVID-19 cases have dipped below 250 at of the beginning of the week after climbing above 400 in recent weeks.
Still, according to the website covidactnow.org, Cape May County and New Jersey as a whole remain at “very high risk” for exposure to the coronavirus.
On Monday, April 12, the Cape May County Department of Health reported there were 247 active cases of the coronavirus.
The department also noted the county leads the state in vaccination rate per capita for residents, with 42,417 receiving at least one dose and 31,404 having both doses.
The department cited a new study that Cape May County was among only five counties in the state that were above 50 percent in vaccination rate for seniors 65 years of age and older, as of April 5.
Cape May County came in at 56.9 percent, the department said, explaining “those 65 and up account for roughly 15 percent of the cases but make up almost 80 percent of the deaths, highlighting the importance of the vaccination efforts among this demographic.”
There have been 199 fatalities attributed to COVID-19 in the county, including 102 in the communities and 97 in long-term care facilities since the pandemic began in March 2020. There also have been 8,140 cases as of Monday, April 12.
There was one death reported April 7, an 84-year-old female from Middle Township; one death reported April 6, a 79-year-old female from Ocean City; and one death on April 5, a 64-year-old male from Dennis Township
On April 12, active cases were greatest in Middle Township (60) and Lower Township (59), followed by Ocean City (30), Wildwood (19), Upper Township (18), Wildwood Crest (16), Cape May and North Wildwood (10 each), Woodbine (9), Dennis Township (8), West Cape May (3), Sea Isle City (2), and Avalon, Stone Harbor and West Wildwood (1 each).
There were 20 new cases reported Monday, including seven each in Lower and Middle Townships; 15 new cases Sunday: 24 on Saturday, including five each in Lower and Middle; 18 cases on Friday, April 9; 29 cases on April 8, including 12 in Lower and 9 in Middle; 24 on April 7, including eight in Middle, seven in Lower and four in Ocean City; 34 on April 6 and 21 cases on April 5.