COURT HOUSE – Cape May County announced the deaths of three residents from the coronavirus this week, a 61-year-old Lower Township man, a 65-year-old Upper Township man, and a 92-year-old Middle Township man.
“Extending our deepest sympathy to all of the families during this sad time,” stated Cape May County Commissioner Director Gerald Thornton. “Our prayers and blessings are with you.”
According to a county release, the rate of infection (RT) continued to decrease over the past week. If the RT is above 1.0, it can be said that the spread of Covid is increasing. The RT is currently 1.12, which is down from 1.24 one week ago, according to the website covidactnow.com.
The RT has been on the decline since July 29 within the county.
New daily Covid cases among Cape May County residents have gone up recently. Residents are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors when social distancing is difficult and ventilation is not ideal.
Cape May County has recorded 10,316 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, 9,512 of those are now off quarantine.
The rollout of the Covid vaccines took another major step forward this week. The Pfizer vaccine for the coronavirus received full U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, after operating under an emergency use authorization. This is the next step in the process and shows an additional layer of safety for these vaccines.
The Cape May County Department of Health has administered a total of 21,790 doses so far. The New Jersey Department of Health reports that 61,242 Cape May County residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and 55,713 have been fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 62% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated.
Cape May County is top five among counties in New Jersey for the percentage of total population vaccinated.
The Cape May County Department of Health is providing Covid vaccinations in the community weekly. This week, vaccines will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 30, at the Holly Beach Fire Company, located at 103 W. Montgomery Ave., in Wildwood, at West Cape May Farmers Market, located at 732 Broadway, in West Cape May, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30, and at the Wildwood Housing Authority, located at 3700 New Jersey Ave., in Wildwood, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 2. Vaccinations are also available every Wednesday at the Cape May County Department of Health building, located at 6 Moore Rd., in Court House, from 1-6 p.m.
“The Cape May County Department of Health has been doing a great job of visiting multiple places per week, including community events to make getting the Covid vaccine as easy as possible,” stated Cape May County Commissioner Jeffrey Pierson, liaison to the county’s Department of Health. “I have seen firsthand how hard the staff is working to protect our county residents, and we continue to work collaboratively to figure out the best plans going forward to combat the coronavirus.”
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. More details on daily reported case numbers can be found at https://capemaycountynj.gov/1418/Covid-19-Dashboard.
