Another 100 residents have tested positive for the virus, as the local death toll hits 280 lives lost. Nearly three-quarters of all local deaths are associated with a long-term care facility.
By Matt Skoufalos | May 19, 2020
NJDOH COVID-19 Dashboard – 5-19-20. Credit: NJDOH.
Another 100 Camden County residents have been sickened by novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Camden County government reported Tuesday, bringing the local caseload to 5,819 patients.
Throughout New Jersey, 149,013 people have been sickened by COVID-19 and 10,586 have perished from related causes.
Ten of them were Camden County residents, as the local death toll climbed to 280 fatalities.
The deceased hailed from five different Camden County municipalities. They are:
- three Camden City men, two in their 60s and one in his 70s; and two women, one each in her 60s and 90s
- a Pine Hill woman in her 70s
- a Voorhees Township man in his 90s
- a Waterford Township man in his 80s
COVID-19 cases are doubling at least every 30 days throughout all of New Jersey save Cumberland County, which stands at a 29-day rate.
The statewide average of spot positivity testing has stood at 12 percent since May 14, and per capita regional hospitalizations are converging at comparable levels across North, Central, and South Jersey.
Spot positivity is a snapshot statistic, and the state’s report excludes serology tests, which can confirm the presence of COVID-19 antibodies but not whether the patient actively has the virus.
NJDOH COVID-19 Dashboard – 5-19-20. Credit: NJDOH.
According to the state health dashboard, Camden County is seventh among New Jersey counties in new cases of COVID-19, with 70 logged May 19.
Of 5,819 reported local COVID-19 cases, 1,236 (24 percent) have originated in a Camden County long-term care (LTC) facility: 952 are residents and 284 are staff.
LTCs are believed to be associated with 200 resident deaths and two staff deaths of the 282 total deaths in Camden County, or 72 percent.
About half of the 56 LTCs in Camden County (27) have experienced at least one case of COVID-19.
“These daily announcements are the hardest thing I have had to do in my career as a public servant, and today is no different, as we announce the tragic death of eight more members of the Camden County community,” said Freeholder Director Lou Cappelli in a statement.
“As we continue to see additional aspects of our daily life return in new ways, we must be sure to keep the threat of this virus at the front of our minds,” Cappelli said. “Even if you are able to visit a particular business, park, or other location, that does not mean that you will be free of risk while you are there.”
“Please continue to use your best judgment, informed by state leaders and health experts, regarding when it is safe to leave your home, and how to protect yourself when you do so: by wearing a mask and practicing social distancing,” he said.
The newest local cases are:
- an Audubon Park man in his 70s
- a Berlin man in his 30s
- 21 Camden City women, seven in their 50s, five in their 20s, four in their 30s, two in their 60s, one each in her 40s and 80s, and a teenaged girl; and 21 men, five in their 50s, three each in their 40s and 60s, two in their 30s, one in his 20s, five teenage boys, and two boys under the age of 10
- three Cherry Hill Township men, one each in his 20s, 60s, and 70s
- a Chesilhurst woman in her 60s
- a Clementon man in his 30s
- a Collingswood woman in her 40s
- 12 Gloucester Township women, six in their 80s, three in their 40s, two in their 70s, and a girl; and four men, one each in his 40s, 50s, and 60s, and a teenaged boy
- two Haddonfield men, one each in his 40s and 60s; and a woman in her 40s
- a Laurel Springs man in his 50s
- eight Lindenwold men, four in their 40s, one each in his 30s and 50s, and two teenage boys; and six women, two in their 20s, one in her 30s, and three teenage girls
- a Merchantville man in his 30s
- an Oaklyn woman in her 80s
- three Pennsauken men, one each in his 20s, 40s, and 60s; and two women, one each in her 40s and 60s
- a Stratford woman in her 50s
- a Voorhees Township man in his 70s
- two Waterford Township men in their 60s
- three Winslow Township men, two in their 30s and one in his 40s; and a woman in her 30s
- a Woodlynne woman in her 30s
The Camden County and New Jersey Health Departments are working to facilitate trace investigations into all cases.
Read our ongoing round-up of COVID-19 coverage here.
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