Locally, 15,784 people have been infected by the virus and 588 have died from related complications, as the county averages 276 new cases per day in the past five days.

By Matt Skoufalos | November 17, 2020

NJDOH COVID-19 Dashboard – 11-16-20. Credit: NJDOH.

Another 1,382 Camden County residents have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since last Thursday, according to reports from the Camden County government.

That brings the local impact of the pandemic to 15,784 infected residents and 588 related deaths.

In a briefing Thursday, Camden County Freeholder-Director Lou Cappelli urged residents to “step up and take those measures necessary to stop the spike, to bend the curve in Camden County” before the uptick in new cases takes its toll on the healthcare system.

“We have a tremendous spike happening in Camden County right now,” Cappelli said; “it’s even greater than the spike that took place early in this pandemic.”

Camden County Freeholder Lou Cappelli – COVID-19 briefing 11-12-20. Credit: NJ Pen.

Average age of infected persons is 37

In the past five days, the county has averaged 276 cases per day, and the average age of those infected in Camden County is now 37.

That’s down from an average of 50 to 60 years in the early part of the pandemic, and up from trends during the summer in which the virus most often affected people in their 20s.

County health officials attribute the increase in new cases to small, private gatherings within and among households, as well as in the workplace.

“As younger folks intermingle with older folks, especially over the holidays, we run that risk of the average age going up, thereby having more serious illness, and therefore more deaths,” Cappelli said.

Social distancing is important to mitigating the spread of the virus because 40 to 50 percent of those who may carry it won’t have symptoms, said Dr. Mark Condoluci, an infectious disease physician with Jefferson Health New Jersey.

“Eighty percent will have mild symptoms, able to stay at home and quarantine, and eventually supersede their symptoms,” Condoluci said. “But it’s that remaining 20 percent that come into the hospitals.”

Camden County contact tracer Rianna DeLuca said that compliance with contact tracing efforts is up from 30 to 50 percent, which is much needed as investigators seek to identify cluster outbreaks and contain their spread. Their work is particularly important as community transmissions creep into the school districts.

“The in-school transmission rate is still relatively low; the problem is it’s getting into schools because the case counts are so high in the population,” DeLuca said.

At the Camden County Office of Emergency Management, Cherry Hill Fire Chief Chris Callan oversees a delivery of personal protective gear for long-term care sites. Credit: Rich Ratner.

LTC cases and deaths

Long-term care (LTC) facilities account for almost half of all deaths in the state and one-sixth of those infected, and new cases continue to occur there.

Of 15,784 reported local COVID-19 cases, 2,374 (15 percent) have originated in a Camden County LTC facility: 1,653 are residents and 721 are staff.

LTCs are believed to be associated with 60 percent, or 350 of 588 total deaths in Camden County: 347 were residents and three were staff.

At this time, 54 of the 56 LTCs in Camden County have experienced at least one case of COVID-19.

New cases

According to the New Jersey Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard, on November 16, Camden County was fifth in the state in new COVID-19 cases, with 170.

The newest local cases (1,382) are:

  • five Audubon women, two in their 40s, one each in her 20s, 30s, and 60s, and two teenaged girls; and three men, one each in his 20s, 40s, and 50s, and a teenaged boy
  • an Audubon Park woman in her 70s
  • seven Barrington women, two each in their 20s, 30s, and 60s, one in her 80s, and two teenaged girls; and three men, two in their 20s, one in his 80s, and a young boy
  • 16 Bellmawr men, five in their 20s, three in their 60s, two each in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, and one each in his 70s and 80s; and nine women, three in their 30s, two in their 20s, one each in her 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, a young girl, and a teenaged girl; and a person of unknown gender in their 60s
  • five Berlin Borough men, two each in their 40s and 50s, one in his 20s, and two teenaged boys; and four women, one each in her 20s, 30s, 60s, and 80s, and three teenaged girls
  • four Berlin Township women, one each in her 20s, 30s, 60s, and 70s; and two teenaged boys, and two men in their 50s
  • three Brooklawn men, one each in his 20s, 30s, and 50s, and two young boys; and a woman in her 20s
  • 162 Camden City women, 45 in their 30s, 28 in their 20s, 30 in their 40s, 24 in their 50s, 13 in their 60s, nine in their 70s, three in their 80s, 29 teenaged girls, and 11 young girls; and 132 men, 40 in their 30s, 30 in their 20s, 24 in their 40s, 20 in their 50s, 12 in their 60s, four in their 70s, two in their 80s, 23 teenaged boys, and 11 young boys
  • 68 Cherry Hill men, 18 in their 20s, 16 in their 50s, 14 in their 30s, seven in their 60s, six each in their 40s and 70s, one in his 80s, four teenaged boys, and one young boy; and 54 women, 13 in their 30s, 11 each in their 50s and 60s, 10 in their 20s, six in their 40s, two in their 80s, one in her 70s, five teenaged girls, and two young girls; and a teenaged person of unknown gender
  • two Chesilhurst women, one each in her 20s and 30s; and a man in his 50s
  • eight Clementon women, five in their 30s, and one each in her 20s, 50s, and 60s; and three men, one each in his 20s, 40s, and 50s
  • 12 Collingswood women, three each in their 20s and 40s, two each in their 30s, 50s, and 60s, and a teenaged girl; and eight men, three each in their 20s and 30s, one each in his 50s and 60s, a young boy, and a teenaged boy
  • two Gibbsboro men in their 30s, and a teenaged boy; and two women in their 40s, and a teenaged girl
  • 15 Gloucester City women, four each in their 20s and 50s, three in their 30s, two in their 50s, one each in her 60s and 70s, and two young girls; and 11 men, three each in their 30s and 70s, two in their 20s, one each in his 40s, 50s, and 60s, three young boys, and two teenaged boys
  • 75 Gloucester Township women, 17 in their 20s, 15 in their 40s, 11 in their 30s, 10 each in their 50s and 60s, nine in their 70s, three in their 80s, four teenaged boys, and two young boys; and 57 men, 17 in their 20s, 13 in their 40s, nine in their 30s, eight in their 50s, five in their 70s, four in their 60s, one in his 80s, twelve teenaged boys, and six young boys
  • four Haddon Heights men, two in their 20s, and one each in his 30s and 60s; and a woman in her 60s
  • 14 Haddon Township men, six in their 20s, two each in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and one each in his 30s and 80s; and nine women, two each in their 20s, 40s, and 50s, and one each in her 60s, 70s, and 80s
  • six Haddonfield teenaged girls, and five women, three in their 40s, and one each in her 20s and 50s; and five teenaged boys, and five men, two each in their 30s and 50s, one in his 40s, and a young boy
  • a Hi-Nella woman in her 60s, and a man in his 70s
  • two Laurel Springs men, one each in his 30s and 50s; and two women in their 50s
  • six Lawnside men, two each in their 30s and 60s, one each in his 20s and 50s, a young boy, and a teenaged boy; and three women, one each in her 30s, 50s, and 60s, and a young girl
  • 20 Lindenwold women, seven in their 30s, five in their 20s, four in their 50s, two in their 40s, one each in her 60s and 70s, and four teenaged girls; and 17 men, five in their 30s, four in their 50s, three each in their 20s and 40s, one each in his 60s and 80s, and two teenaged boys
  • four Magnolia men, two each in their 20s and 30s; and a woman in her 60s
  • four Merchantville women, two in their 20s, one each in their 30s and 40s, and a teenaged girl; and two men, one each in his 20s and 30s, and a teenaged boy
  • three Mount Ephraim men, one each in his 20s, 50s, and 80s, two teenaged boys, and a young boy; a teenaged girl, and a woman in her 20s
  • two Oaklyn women, one each in her 20s and 50s; and a man in his 60s
  • 71 Pennsauken women, 18 in their 20s, 13 in their 40s, 12 in their 60s, nine each in their 50s and 70s, seven in their 30s, three in their 80s, 13 teenaged girls, and three young girls; and 74 men, 20 in their 20s, 17 in their 30s, 14 in their 40s, seven each in their 60s and 70s, six in their 50s, three in their 80s, six teenaged boys, and three young boys
  • 13 Pine Hill men, four in their 30s, three in their 20s, two each in their 40s and 70s, one each in their 50s and 60s, and a young boy; and 10 women, four in their 30s, two each in their 20s and 40s, one each in her 50s and 60s, and two young girls
  • four Runnemede men, three in their 30s, one in his 40s, and a young boy; and four women, two in their 50s, one each in her 20s and 30s, and a teenaged girl
  • seven Somerdale men, two each in their 20s, 50s, and 60s, and one in his 30s; and five women, two in their 20s, and one each in her 30s, 40s, and 50s
  • four Stratford men, one each in his 20s, 40s, 50s, and 70s, and a teenaged boy; and two teenaged girls, and a woman in her 30s
  • 31 Voorhees men, nine in their 20s, eight in their 40s, five in their 30s, four each in their 50s and 60s, one in his 70s, and four teenaged boys; and 31 women, eight in their 40s, seven in their 30s, six in their 60s, four in their 80s, three each in their 20s and 50s, and three teenaged women
  • 10 Waterford men, four in their 30s, two each in their 20s and 60s, one each in his 40s and 70s, and six teenaged boys; and four women, one each in her 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, and a teenaged girl
  • 45 Winslow men, 11 each in their 20s and 40s, eight in their 30s, seven each in their 50s and 60s, one in his 80s, two teenaged boys, and one young boy; and 39 women, 12 in their 20s, 11 in their 40s, eight in their 50s, five in their 60s, two in their 30s, one in her 80s, six teenaged girls, and two young girls; and a person of unknown gender in their 60s
  • nine Woodlynne men, three in their 20s, two each in their 40s and 60s, one each in his 30s and 50s, and a teenaged boy; and six women, two each in their 20s, 40s, and 60s, and a teenaged girl
    a teenaged boy, and woman in her 30s of unknown residence

 

The Camden County and New Jersey Health Department are working to facilitate trace investigations into all cases.

Read our ongoing round-up of COVID-19 coverage here.

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