CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — As fast as COVID-19 cases rose in Cape May County, they’re dropping just as fast, although the lagging indicators show six more residents’ deaths were attributed to the coronavirus in last Friday’s weekly report.
Active cases of COVID-19, attributed to the more contagious Omicron variant, quadrupled from about 250 cases around Thanksgiving to more than a thousand by Christmas, to 1,800 10 days after that and then topped out over 2,300 by mid-January, far higher than any peak period before during the pandemic since statistics were kept in March 2020.
By the Jan. 21 report, active cases had dropped to 1,499 countywide and in the latest report, from Friday, Jan. 28, they were down to 1,050 as the rate of transmission continued to drop. It was at 0.73 Friday; any number below 1.0 indicates infections are declining.
Hospitalizations also have fallen since Jan. 10, the Cape May County Department of Health reported.
The six deaths reported Friday include a 94-year-old man from Ocean City, a 78-year-old woman and two men, ages 81 and 82, from Lower Township; a 79-year-old man from Middle Township and an 89-year-old woman from Dennis Township.
The county vaccination clinic from 2 to 4 p.m. each Wednesday now is located at 6 Moore Road in Cape May Court House. For more information on obtaining the vaccine, quickly and free of charge, go to https://capemaycountynj.gov/226/Health-Department or call (609) 465-1187.
“We remember the individuals we have lost and pray for their families,” Cape May County Commission Director Gerald M. Thornton said. “We continue to do everything we can to protect all county residents. An additional mobile clinic is being added this week to provide more opportunities to get vaccinated. We also remind residents to mask up around those most vulnerable, especially when indoors.”
There were clinics Monday in Marmora and Tuesdays in Cape May.
Lower Township had the largest number of active cases among residents with 278, followed by Middle Township with 227, Upper Township with 170 and Ocean City with 100.
Other active cases include Dennis Township, 84; Wildwood, 58; North Wildwood, 38; Woodbine, 28; Wildwood Crest and Cape May, 25 each; Sea Isle City, 6; West Cape May and Avalon, 4 each; and Cape May Point, West Wildwood and Stone Harbor, 1 each.
With the new numbers, there have been 20,055 cases of COVID-19 among county residents since the pandemic began and 279 deaths — 108 in long-term care and 171 among residents.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
