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COURT HOUSE – April 24: Cape May County Department of Health (DOH) reported 26 new confirmed COVID-19 cases today.
The total number of cases, since the first reported case March 18, is now 271. Of those, 169 remain active. There have been 17 deaths, and 85 individuals have recovered sufficiently to be removed from quarantine.
The most significant single-day growth in county’s cases took place in Dennis Township, which added 15 cases in the 24 hours since the last report. There were also six new cases in Woodbine, three in Middle Township and two in Lower Township.
The number of individuals released from quarantine grew by 23, allowing the active case total to remain essentially the same, moving from 166 to 169.
The individuals who have tested positive are being isolated and monitored, while staff investigate and identify close contacts to locate exposure risks.
Ages for positive individuals show the 18-40 age bracket nearing the same percentage as those over 65. While 31% of positive cases are 65 or older, 27% of positives are 18-40. The largest group is 41-65 years old, at 40%.
Today’s 26 new cases represent the highest single-day total to date. With yesterday’s new case total of 21, the two day total of 47 is 28% of all the active cases. This two-day spike in cases follows 5 days of single-digit increases.
The county report comes as the state passed a grim threshold with 102,196 total cases. 253 new deaths associated with the virus brought the state death total to 5,617.
State officials continue to point to a slowing in the rate of new cases and a stabilization of hospitalization. Yet, testing still lags behind the targets Gov. Phil Murphy has set for easing lockdown requirements.
Record unemployment, business and tax revenue losses, and the prospect of large scale public worker layoffs all point to a need to rejuvenate the state’s economy. The lack of significant daily increases in testing stands as a barrier to easing the lockdown.
Officials are hoping a new saliva test, developed by Rutgers University, will present an opportunity.
Sea Isle City – Please tell me about Trump's presidency that I missed. I recall that the threat from N. Korea stopped. I recall that covid came (from the Chinese) and Trump fast tracked a vaccine. I recall…
