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COURT HOUSE – May 14: The Cape May County Department of Health has administered a total of 20,177 doses so far.
According to a release, the New Jersey Department of Health reports that 51,167 Cape May County residents have received at least one vaccine dose and 43,981 have been fully vaccinated. Cape May County has consistently led the state in per capita administration of the COVID vaccine.
The Cape May County Department of Health will be moving its vaccination clinic May 17 to the Lower Cape May Regional High School’s field house from its Avalon location. Anyone with a second shot location has been informed verbally and via email of the new location for their second shot. The only vaccines that the county Department of Health provides is Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, both of which are only approved currently for individuals 18 years old and older.
The Lower Township vaccine site will have availability for walk-in appointments next week May 17 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for individuals who have not yet received their Covid vaccine. Pfizer is allowed for people 12 years old and up, but anyone looking for the Pfizer vaccine must find another location that provides it.
Covid restrictions will become further eased on May 19. The general indoor gather limit will increase to 50 people and the outdoor gathering limit will be removed. Also, indoor catered events, including wedding receptions and proms can increase to 100% of the room’s capacity, but no more than 250 individuals.
Percentage-based indoor and outdoor capacity limits will be removed for businesses and houses of worship, and instead, they must limit indoor and outdoor capacity to a number that ensures all individuals or groups of people can remain 6 feet apart.
Also, indoor interstate youth sports competitions will be able to resume.
Cape May County is currently at 57% of its adult population being fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 80% of the county’s 65 years of age and older population is fully vaccinated. This is important news because eight out of 10 Covid deaths have taken place in individuals who are 65 years old and older, according to the Centers for Disease of Control and Prevention.
The high vaccination rate has helped the county’s new Covid cases drop. The rate of transmission (RT), in Cape May County, is .76, according to covidactnow.com. Any number below 1.0 means the spread of the virus is decreasing currently.
Cases were down in Cape May County 52% week over week, when comparing cases from May 8 to May 14. Statewide numbers are also improving.
May 13 marked the first time in seven months that hospitalizations in New Jersey fell below 1,000. Hospitalizations in the state is down over 33% in the past week and nearly 70% in the past month. The statewide RT is .84.
The region has also seen a significant drop in new cases and percent positivity of Covid tests. The new Covid statewide activity level report shows the entire state and the southeast region, where Cape May County is located, is at moderate risk. The new case rate in the southeast, which also includes Atlantic and Cumberland counties, is at 10.67 per 100,000 residents with a 3.31% positivity rate. New cases were down 35% and the percent positivity dropped by nearly half week over week.
The activity level report helps schools make determinations on safety protocols to take due to Covid. The report has shown the southeast region moving towards decreased risk over the past month. Cape May County has recorded 8,714 Covid cases during the pandemic, 8,396 of those are now off quarantine.
For vaccine information on where, when, who, and how, please visit capemaycountynj.gov.
