Officials point to leading vaccination rate as long-term care cases rise
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Although active cases of COVID-19 have risen in long-term care in Cape May County, numbering 15 cases in Ocean City and 24 in Woodbine as of Sunday, officials report the county had the lowest per-capita number of cases in the state between Jan. 14 and 20 and had the greatest rate of vaccine distribution.
There have been eight deaths in the county attributed to the coronavirus between Jan. 19 and 24.
The county Department of Health reported there were 22.4 cases per 10,000 residents during that period, the lowest in New Jersey, with Somerset County being the closest at 26.4 cases per 10,000. The state Department of Health reported the county had administered 8,098 doses as of Sunday, including first and second doses at a rate that leads the state.
Throughout the pandemic, Cape May County has consistently been among the counties with the fewest overall cases of the coronavirus and fatalities attributed to it.
As of Sunday, there have been 160 deaths countywide – 90 in long-term care and 70 in the communities. Thirteen people in long-term care facilities have died in Ocean City, 33 in Lower Township – most of them early in the pandemic, 19 in Dennis Township, 14 in Middle Township and 11 in Woodbine.
Lower Township and Middle Township, with 17 and 14 fatalities, respectively, have reported the most deaths attributed to COVID-19. There have been seven deaths in Ocean City, six in Upper Township, five each in Wildwood and Woodbine, four in Dennis Township, three each in Cape May, North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, two in Sea Isle City and one in Wildwood Crest.
There have been no fatalities caused by COVID-19 in Cape May Point, Avalon or Stone Harbor, according to the Department of Health.
Deaths reported Sunday were a 69-year-old man from Wildwood Crest and a 74-year-old woman from Middle Township. On Saturday there were four deaths, a 70-year-old male from Lower Township, a 76-year-old female from Wildwood Crest, a 78-year-old female from Middle Township and a 99-year-old male from Ocean City in long-term care. On Wednesday, Jan. 19, there were two deaths, a 91-year-old female from West Cape May and a 67-year-old male from Middle Township.
The number of active cases has declined over the past week, with 74 new cases reported Jan. 19, including 16 in Lower Township, 13 in Middle Township, 12 in Ocean City and nine in Upper Township. There were 63 new cases on Jan. 20, including 14 each in Upper Township and Middle Township. The county reported 27 cases on Jan. 21, 52 on Jan. 22, 53 on Jan. 23 and 30 on Sunday, Jan. 24.
As of Sunday, there were 48 active cases in long-term care and 545 in the communities including 119 in Lower Township, 115 in Middle Township, 75 in Upper Township and 67 in Ocean City.
Other communities reporting active cases included Wildwood (36), Dennis Township (28), North Wildwood (27), Woodbine (21), Cape May (15), West Cape May (14), Wildwood Crest (12), Sea Isle City (9), Avalon (3), Cape May Point (2), and Stone Harbor and West Wildwood (1 each).
There was only one active case among non-residents and that was in Cape May.
