COURT HOUSE – This past week (Dec. 15-21), Pfizer’s vaccine arrived, in Cape May County, and Moderna’s vaccine gained emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Although large-scale vaccination of the general population is months away, the vaccine is like a light at the end of a long and dark tunnel.
This week, more county residents were removed from quarantine, no longer active, than newly confirmed Covid cases were added to the county tally.
New cases reported this week totaled 316, or 45 per day, on average, while county health officials removed 332 individuals from the active rolls, taking them off quarantine.
There were 17 new nonresident cases reported, all in Cape May. County reports show 29 nonresident active cases, all of which are in the county’s namesake resort.
Another six county residents succumbed to the virus, bringing the total of Covid-related deaths to 125 since the first fatality, in April. The deaths of two Ocean City residents, one 86 and one 66, reported Dec. 21, were community fatalities, unconnected to long-term care facilities.
In an interview with the Herald, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrea McCoy, Cape Regional Medical Center (CRMC), said fewer patients were dying of the disease than during the spring outbreak.
She pointed to a greater mix of younger people being admitted to the hospital with Covid, with younger patients less likely to die from the disease.
She also noted the improved knowledge possessed by the medical community concerning appropriate treatments that was not available during spring.
The numbers of Covid patients at CRMC rose this week, moving from 26 to 33. Of the 33 patients, nine are in the intensive care unit (ICU) and two are on ventilators.
Covid can be lethal, especially for older residents. This week, the Journal of the American Medical Association listed Covid as a leading cause of death in the nation, especially for those 45 or older.
Death is not the only negative outcome for those infected with the virus. This month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a meeting to discuss the growing evidence of long-term symptoms of the disease among a segment of those who had the virus and since tested negative.
Some who recovered may suffer from what is being called “long haul Covid.” Medical experts at the NIH saw this threat of long-term impacts as one more reason for people to protect themselves from the initial infection.
Congress Dec. 21 passed a new stimulus bill. The over-5,000-page bill includes stimulus checks, a federal unemployment booster, funds to assist businesses, and an extension of the eviction moratorium. The bill awaits President Donald Trump’s signature.
This week, state officials reported there are 3,500 contact tracers, in New Jersey. When an individual tests positive for the virus, it is the contact tracers’ job to help that individual with information and assistance in maintaining the required quarantine and to notifyothers who may have been inadvertently exposed by the person who tested positive.
Contact tracing is a long-standing tool in the arsenal of public health officials, but it is not being received well, in New Jersey. Even though confidentiality is assured, upwards of 78% of New Jerseyans refuse to cooperate.
That number this week is higher than at any other time during the pandemic. That lack of cooperation comes as the state adds 4,400 new cases a day to the Covid totals.
While most welcome the arrival of the vaccines, health officials continue to urge the public to maintain discipline regarding health protocols.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
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