Health officials offer advice on talking to children about the coronavirus
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Active cases of COVID-19 in Cape May County have been adding up over the past week and now include 99 residents, 19 non-residents and nine residents of long-term care facilities, health officials reported Monday, Sept. 7.
As recently as Sept. 1, there were 62 active cases among residents.
Health officials also said 10 new cases of the coronavirus were reported among residents Monday, but there were no new cases among non-residents or in long-term care facilities.
Middle Township and Woodbine lead the county with 18 active cases among residents, followed by Lower Township with 16, Dennis Township with 12 and Upper Township with nine.
Wildwood is reporting seven active cases, there are six in Ocean City, five in North Wildwood, four in Wildwood Crest and three in Cape May. Sea Isle City has one active case among residents.
There are no active cases among residents in Avalon, Cape May Point, Stone Harbor, West Cape May and West Wildwood.
Three new cases were reported Monday in Ocean City and Dennis Township with two in Woodbine and one each in Wildwood and Middle Township.
The most active cases among visitors are five in Wildwood Crest and four in North Wildwood. There are three active cases among visitors in Cape May and Wildwood and one each in Avalon, Middle Township, Sea Isle City and Stone Harbor.
Of the nine active cases in long-term care, seven were in Woodbine and two in Dennis Township.
As of Sept. 7, there have been 1,187 positive cases of COVID-19 in Cape May County and 89 fatalities, 33 of them in long-term care in Lower Township.
There were 11 new cases among residents and one among visitors reported Sunday, and 14 new cases among residents reported Saturday. There were 11 new cases among residents reported Friday and five cases Thursday.
The most recent death from COVID-19 in Cape May County was a 97-year-old woman from Middle Township on Wednesday, Sept. 2. There have been no deaths attributed to the coronavirus since then.
Of the 1,187 reported cases in the county, 990 are listed as off-quarantine.
Talking with children
Cape May County health officials have offered the following advice for talking with children about the changes in lifestyle because of COVID-19:
Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools, places of public gathering, and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal. This includes trying to keep children occupied, feeling safe, and attempting to keep up with schoolwork as best as possible. None of this is easy, but it helps to stay focused on what is possible in order to reinforce a sense of control and to reassure children that they are OK, and that the situation will get better.
Stay calm, listen and offer reassurance.
– Be a role model. Children will react to and follow your reactions. They learn from your example.
– Be aware of how you talk about COVID-19. Your discussion about COVID-19 can increase or decrease your child’s fear. If true, remind your child that your family is healthy, and you are going to do everything within your power to keep loved ones safe and well. Carefully listen or have them draw or write out their thoughts and feelings and respond with truth and reassurance.
– Explain social distancing. Children probably don’t fully understand why parents/guardians aren’t allowing them to be with friends. Tell your child that your family is following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which include social distancing. Social distancing means staying away from others until the risk of contracting COVID-19 is under control. Showing older children the “flatten the curve” charts will help them grasp the significance of social distancing. Explain that while we don’t know how long it will take to “flatten the curve” to reduce the number of those infected, we do know that this is a critical time—we must follow the guidelines of health experts to do our part.
– Demonstrate deep breathing. Deep breathing is a valuable tool for calming the nervous system. Do breathing exercises with your children.
– Focus on the positive. Celebrate having more time to spend as a family. Make it as fun as possible. Do family projects. Organize belongings, create masterpieces. Sing, laugh, and go outside, if possible, to connect with nature and get needed exercise. Allow older children to connect with their friends virtually.
– Establish and maintain a daily routine. Keeping a regular schedule provides a sense of control, predictability, calm, and well-being. It also helps children and other family members respect others’ need for quiet or uninterrupted time and when they can connect with friends virtually.
– Identify projects that might help others. This could include: writing letters to the neighbors or others who might be stuck at home alone or to health care workers; sending positive messages over social media; or reading a favorite children’s book on a social media platform for younger children to hear.
– Offer lots of love and affection.
Stay up to date on the current situation as it evolves. Some reliable sources are New Jersey Poison Information and Education System Hotline at 211 or (1-800) 962-1253, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov, World Health Organization at www.who.int, New Jersey Department of Health at COVID19.nj.gov. For additional information visit Cape May County Department of Health at www.cmchealth.net and also like the page on Facebook.