Covid Update: Life After Vaccination Takes Shape

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COURT HOUSE – This week (March 2-8), new Covid case numbers continued to decline, vaccinations increased, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided new guidancefor life after vaccination.
The county reported 200 new cases among residents, one of which was for an individual in a long-term care facility. The number of active cases dropped by 39, standing at 299, the first time it has been below 300 since early November 2020.
Of the 7,105 confirmed cases sincethe county’s first case almost one year ago, just over 93% weremoved off quarantine, 4% represent the county’s active cases, and 2.5% of those infected became fatalities of the disease. Three new Covid-related deaths were reported this past week.
The numbers are trending in the right direction, with hospitalizations also down. The county is averaging almost 30 new cases a day, but that number is a significant improvement over the 50 new cases a day the county averaged through much of January.
According to Dr. Paul Offit, Avalon property owner and director of vaccine education at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the safety threshold health officials are seeking is 80% of the population having disease or vaccine immunity, the former being the immunity that results from having been infected with the virus and recovered. 
The Cape May County Health Department reports that 37,349 combined first and second doses of the vaccine were administered in Cape May County. The county continues to lead the state in doses administered per 100,000 of the population.
Another positive trend in county cases is the decline in cases involving long-term care facilities. As of March 7, facilities across the county had a total of one active case. One additional case was confirmed March 8. 
It’s an improvement over the pandemic’s early months, when the congregate living facilities were a focus of outbreaks.
Long-awaited guidance from the CDC was released, giving Americans a glimpse of life after completing vaccination (http://bit.ly/3v8G0iw).
The guidance states that fully vaccinated individuals can congregate indoors without masks and social distancing. It also states that fully vaccinated individuals can interact in the same way with non-vaccinated individuals from a single household who are not at high risk for serious illness from Covid infection.
The CDC adds that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to be tested or quarantined following known exposure to Covid unless they develop symptoms.
The guidance continues to urge Americans to use masks and practice social distancing in public, in situations where one is meeting with individuals from multiple households and when visiting with non-vaccinated individuals who otherwise are at high risk for severe illness.
Variants remain a concern, but vaccine test results suggest the most prevalent variant, B.1.1.7, commonly identified with the United Kingdom, presents no special problem for the current mRNA vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer. 
The variant was confirmed in 134 cases in New Jersey, two of which are in Cape May County. According to the New Jersey COVID-19 Dashboard, no other variants have a significant presence in the state.
This week, eligibility for the vaccine continued to expand in anticipation of growing vaccine allocations from the federal government. 
Pre-K to 12 educators and staff were added to the eligible rolls, along with child care workers in licensed settings. New groups were also announced as becoming eligible for the vaccine, beginning March 15 and March 29. 
The big change in the last few weeks is that all 50 states are offering the vaccine to teachers as a priority group.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.