Cape May County loses 9 to COVID, still bottom of casualty list

By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Over the past week, when at least nine deaths from COVID-19 were recorded in Cape May County, the county surpassed 4,000 cumulative cases of the coronavirus since numbers started being kept in March during the pandemic. However, the county still ranks with Salem County as among the least hard-hit in the state.

Neighboring Atlantic County is closing in on 14,000 cases and Cumberland County is close to 7,500, but the overwhelming numbers of cases remain in the counties closest to New York City.

Hudson, Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties have all surpassed 40,000 cases and more than 1,500 fatalities each attributed to the coronavirus, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

As of Sunday, Cape May County was at 4,110 cases and 134 fatalities, 80 of them in long-term care, including 33 in Lower Township, 15 in Dennis Township, 12 in Ocean City, 11 in Middle Township and nine in Woodbine.

Of the 54 fatalities attributed to COVID-19 in the communities, there have been 13 in Lower Township, 10 in Middle Township, six in Upper Township, five each in Ocean City and Woodbine, four in Dennis Township, three each in Cape May and North Wildwood, two each in Sea Isle City and Wildwood and one in Wildwood Crest.

As of Sunday, there were 431 active cases in the county’s communities — including 122 in Lower Township, 89 in Middle Township, 58 in Upper Township and 43 in Ocean City — 35 in long-term care and 24 among non-residents, all of those in Cape May.

There were 34 new cases reported Sunday in the communities, three in long-term care and one among non-residents.

On Saturday, after the Cape May County Department of Health did not report Friday, Christmas Day, there were four fatalities — a 73-year-old male and 53-year-old male from Lower Township, a 93-year-old female from Dennis Township and an 87-year-old female from Woodbine.

There were 73 new positive test results combined Friday and Saturday among county residents.

On Christmas Eve, the department reported three deaths attributed to COVID-19 — a 61-year-old female from Dennis Township, a 76-year-old male from Middle Township and an 84-year-old female from Lower Township. There also were 44 new cases of the coronavirus reported.

On Wednesday, Dec. 23, there was one fatality, an 89-year-old man from Dennis Township, and 52 new cases, and on Tuesday, Dec. 22, there 62 new cases and the death of an 87-year-old man from Dennis Township.