Cape May County has begun a renewed push to encourage residents to get vaccinated. Through television, radio and print advertising, the County Board of Commissioners is informing residents of the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant and the need for all eligible residents to get vaccinated.
The Delta variant continues to be the dominate strain of COVID-19. The latest results from the New Jersey Department of Health estimates that 90% of the new coronavirus over a four-week period ending on July 24 were from Delta. The good news is that the Cape May County Rate of Infection (RT) has been decreasing from the high of 1.47 on July 29 to 1.36 currently. Anytime the RT is above 1.0, it can be said that the spread of COVID-19 is increasing. The peak RT for Cape May County was 1.50 in March of 2020.
“Our ‘Finish Strong - Safely Together’ messaging campaign has been very effective,” said Cape May County Commission Director Gerald M. Thornton. “Cape May County is in the top five in terms of number of residents vaccinated, but we still have about 30% of our eligible residents who need to get the vaccine. Each person that gets the vaccine moves Cape May County one step closer to putting covid behind us.”
The Cape May County Department of Health is providing COVID-19 vaccinations in the community weekly. This week, vaccines will be available from 9:30 A.M. to 1 P.M. at the Cape May County Park and Zoo, located at 707 Route 9 North in Cape May Court House, on August 16, and at the Barefoot Country Music Fest, located at 3601 Boardwalk in Wildwood, from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. from August 17 to August 19. Vaccinations are also available every Wednesday at the Cape May County Department of Health building, located at 6 Moore Rd. in Cape May Court House from 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.
“The County’s Department of Health is working tirelessly to ensure that it is easy for people to get vaccinated,” said Cape May County Commissioner Jeff Pierson. “We encourage people to protect themselves and their families by getting the COVID vaccine.”
For more information on obtaining the vaccine, quickly and free of charge, go to https://capemaycountynj.gov/226/Health-Department or call (609) 465-1187. Cape May County has recorded 9,657 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, 8,970 of those are now off quarantine. More details on daily reported case numbers can be found at https://capemaycountynj.gov/1418/Covid-19-Dashboard.
For vaccine information on where, when, who, and how, please visit capemaycountynj.gov. The Cape May County Department of Health administered a total of 21,635 doses so far. The New Jersey Department of Health reports that 59,576 Cape May County residents have received at least one vaccine dose and 54,577 have been fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 61% of the County’s population is fully vaccinated.
It is with great sadness that we are reporting the passing of two individuals from Middle Township, an 81-year-old female and a 69-year-old female. “My heart goes out to the families of those who lost loved ones,” said Thornton. “May your memories give you peace and comfort.”
