Important news came out today from the Food and Drug Administration, which said the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe. The FDA agreed with the clinical trial noting the vaccine is 95 percent effective at prevention COVID-19. This vaccine is provided in two doses over a three-week period. This is a major step forward in getting federal approvals to provide a COVID vaccine to the public. It is possible that if the proper approvals are received from the Federal government that the first vaccines could be administered in New Jersey by the end of this month.

The County of Cape May Department of Health is announcing today that 53 new positive test samples were collected among County residents over the past several days. While Cape May County has recorded 3253 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, 2586 of those are now off quarantine.

Contact tracing, a core disease control measure employed by local and state health department personnel for decades, is a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19. Contact tracing is part of the process of supporting patients with suspected or confirmed infection.

In contact tracing, public health staff work with a patient to help them recall everyone with whom they have had close contact during the timeframe while they may have been infectious. Public health staff then warn these exposed individuals (contacts) of their potential exposure as rapidly and sensitively as possible.

Contacts are provided with education, information, and support to understand their risk, what they should do to separate themselves from others who are not exposed, monitor themselves for illness, and the possibility that they could spread the infection to others even if they themselves do not feel ill.

Contacts who develop symptoms should promptly isolate themselves and notify public health staff. They should be promptly evaluated for infection and for the need for medical care.