By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
For the first time since June 21, the Cape May County Department of Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 among residents, but there were five positive test results of visitors to the county.
Although the numbers had increased over the past week, by Monday, Aug. 24, the Department of Health reported the total number of active cases in the county remains below 100, including 56 cases among residents, 32 among non-residents (visitors) and seven in long-term care facilities. There were no new cases reported in long-term care Monday. There were 113 active cases in the county as recently as Friday, Aug. 21.
On average, health officials said the county was averaging about 5.5 new cases per day over the past week.
The state Department of Health said Monday there are now 189,719 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and there have been 14,120 deaths. There are another 1,829 deaths suspected to be caused by the coronavirus.
In Cape May County, there have been 1,080 cases and 85 deaths linked to COVID-19.
Most of the active cases in the county are in Middle Township, which reported 16 active cases on Monday, followed by seven in Lower Township and six each in Ocean City, Upper Township and Woodbine.
North Wildwood had five cases, Wildwood Crest had three and Wildwood and Dennis Township had two each. There was one case each in Avalon, Cape May and Sea Isle City, and no active cases in Cape May Point, Stone Harbor, West Cape May and West Wildwood.
North Wildwood, however, had 11 new cases reported among non-residents and there were five each among non-residents in Ocean City and Wildwood. The other active cases among visitors were three each in Sea Isle City and Wildwood Crest and one each in Avalon, Cape May, Lower Township and Upper Township.
Of the seven active cases in long-term care facilities, there were three in Middle Township and two each in Lower Township and Woodbine.
Lower Township has been hit the hardest by the coronavirus with a total of 275 cases, many of them in long-term care, and 42 fatalities, 33 of them in long-term care. Middle Township has had 225 cases and Upper Township has had 119. Overall, of the 85 fatalities, 58 were in long-term care and 27 in the communities, including three each in Middle, Upper and Dennis townships.
The most recent death reported in Cape May County was on Friday, Aug. 21. It was an 84-year-old man from Dennis Township.