By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
The number of new COVID-19 cases increased by three in Cape May County on Sunday, April 26, and there was one reported new death in Lower Township, but there was a spike in Atlantic County as 62 new cases were reported in children and adults from age 6 to 93.
There were no new deaths reported in Atlantic County Sunday.
Cape May County has recently shown one of the lowest rates of increase of the unique coronavirus cases among counties in New Jersey while neighboring Atlantic County has been rising at a much faster rate.
There was one new infection in Lower Township, bringing the active case total to 49, and two new cases in Upper Township, where the total of active cases now stands at 28. Middle Township has 45 active cases, Dennis Township, which saw a spike Friday, has 24 cases and Ocean City has 16 cases.
Woodbine has 14 active cases, Wildwood has 12, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood have three each and West Cape May has two.
There are no active cases reported in Avalon, Cape May, Cape May Point, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor and West Wildwood.
The total number of cases in the county is 289. Of those, 186 are active, 85 are off quarantine and 18 have died from COVID-19, according to the Cape May County Department of Health.
There have been 29 fatalities from COVID-19 in Atlantic County and a total of 668 cases. Of those, 127 residents have been cleared as recovered, according to the Atlantic County Division of Public Health.
Of the 62 new cases, there were 35 females from age 6 to 93 who tested positive and 27 males from 8 to 86 years old.
Twenty-five of Sunday’s new positives were confirmed in Hammonton, seven in Absecon, and four each in Egg Harbor Township, Galloway and Linwood. Three cases were found in Buena, Hamilton Township and Pleasantville while two positives were reported in Atlantic City and Northfield. Brigantine, Egg Harbor City, Margate, Somers Point and Ventnor each had one new case, according to Linda Gilmore, public information officer for the county.
Statewide, there have now been 5,938 fatalities and 109,038 cases of COVID-19, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
On Friday, the rate of infection – the time it takes for the cases to double – was reported as 21.5 in Cape May County, among the slowest in the state, but at 11 days in Atlantic County. In other south Jersey counties, the rate was 9.5 days in Cumberland and Salem counties, 11.5 in Camden, 12.5 in Burlington and 14.5 in Gloucester County.
Gov. Phil Murphy noted that several counties had “slipped backwards” in their rates of infection.
State and county officials have urged residents to continue their social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.
