To date, 7,591 residents have been sickened by the virus and 437 locals have died from related complications.
By Matt Skoufalos | June 24, 2020
NJDOH COVID-19 Dashboard – 6-24-20. Credit: NJ Pen.
Another seven Camden County residents have died from complications related to novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and 19 others have been sickened by the virus.
That brings the local total of residents sickened to 7,591 and the local death toll to 437, according to the Camden County government.
Yesterday, officials said they’re bracing for additional new cases of the virus, as more businesses progress through Stage Two of reopening.
Throughout New Jersey, 169,892 people have been sickened by COVID-19, and 12,995 have perished from causes related to the virus.
The statewide average of COVID-19 spot positivity testing stood at 2.83 percent June 20; in South Jersey, it’s higher, at 3.92 percent. 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 a patient actively has the virus.
However, officials are tracking a steady climb in Rt, or the estimated rate of transmission of new cases of the virus, which was 0.86 percent on June 22. That figure indicates that every person infected with COVID-19 is infecting less than one other person, on average, but it’s climbed daily from a low of 0.62 recorded on June 9.
In today’s briefing, Governor Phil Murphy said that 10 counties have seen their Rt rate increase “by at least 50 percent over the past week.”
Long-term care (LTC) facilities account for almost half of all deaths in the state and one-fifth of those infected, and new cases are still being discovered there.
NJDOH COVID-19 cases by County – 6-24-20. Credit: NJ DOH.
According to the state health dashboard, on June 24, Camden County was second in new cases of COVID-19, with 37.
Of 7,591 reported local COVID-19 cases, 1,775 (23 percent) have originated in a Camden County LTC facility: 1,300 are residents and 475 are staff.
LTCs are believed to be associated with 68 percent, or 298 of the 437 total deaths in Camden County; 295 were residents and three were staff.
More than half the 56 LTCs in Camden County (30) have experienced at least one case of COVID-19.
Officials also announced Wednesday that the Camden County College COVID-19 testing site in Gloucester Township will shut down permanently at 4 p.m. this Friday, June 26.
Residents can still get tested at 3101 Federal Street in Camden City, at Jefferson Health drive-through testing sites in Cherry Hill and Washington Township, and at select CVS and Rite-Aid pharmacy locations.
“This is an extremely dangerous disease, and it is still very much with us in our community even as our cases decline,” Camden County Freeholder-Director Lou Cappelli said in a statement.
“Across the state, we are in a much better position than we were just a few short months ago, but that does not mean that this war is over,” he said.
“If we do not vigilantly practice social distancing, mask wearing, and other proactive measures to prevent the spread, we will see an increase in cases,” Cappelli said.
“Just like other states that are now seeing spikes of COVID-19 transmission, we could find ourselves moving in the wrong direction if we let our guards down.”
The deceased are:
- a Camden City man in his 60s
- a Cherry Hill man in his 60s and woman in her 90s
- a Gloucester Township woman in her 90s
- a Lindenwold man in his 50s
- a Pennsauken woman in her 70s
- a Voorhees woman in her 90s
The newest local cases are:
- four Camden City women, a young girl, a teenage girl, and one each in her 40s and 50s; and four men, two in their 50s, and one each in his 30s and 70s
- a Clementon man in his 20s
- a Gloucester City woman in her 40s
- two Gloucester Township women, one each in her 60s and 80s
- a Haddon Heights woman in her 40s
- a Lindenwold woman in her 50s
- two Pennsauken women, one each in her 30s and 60s
- a Voorhees man in his 50s and woman in her 80s
- a Winslow 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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