The county announces 75 new COVID-19 cases as the local death toll hits 272 lives lost. Nearly three-quarters of all local deaths are associated with a long-term care facility.
By Matt Skoufalos | May 18, 2020
NJDOH COVID-19 Dashboard – 5-18-20. Credit: NJ DOH.
Another 75 Camden County residents have been sickened by novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Camden County government reported Monday, bringing the local caseload to 5,719 patients.
Throughout New Jersey, 148,039 people have been sickened by COVID-19 and 10,435 have perished from related causes.
Ten of them were Camden County residents, as the local death toll climbed to 272 fatalities.
The deceased hailed from five different Camden County municipalities. They are:
- a Berlin Borough woman in her 90s
- three Camden City men, one each in his 50s, 60s, and 70s; and two women, one each in her 70s and 80s
- a Mount Ephraim man in his 90s
- a Voorhees woman in her 80s
- a Winslow man and woman, both in their 70s
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 is at 12 percent as of 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 fourth among New Jersey counties in new cases of COVID-19, with 115 logged May 18.
Of 5,719 reported local COVID-19 cases, 1,233 have originated in a Camden County long-term care (LTC) facility, or 22 percent.
LTCs are believed to be associated with 201 of 272 total local deaths, or 74 percent.
About half of the 56 LTCs in Camden County (27) have experienced at least one case of COVID-19.
“While we are making progress in some areas of mitigation, these deaths underscore the reality that this virus remains a very real threat to our community,” said Freeholder Director Lou Cappelli in a statement.
“We are in a new phase of this pandemic where data suggests that the state may be safe in reopening certain aspects of our economy. However, we are asking our residents to recognize that this progress will be very quickly undone if we move too quickly,” Cappelli said.
“We all must continue to aggressively social-distance, and minimize our opportunities to spread or contract coronavirus,” he said. “Mitigation is the only tool we have until a real antiviral or vaccine becomes available, and we must follow the science and the data to keep our community safe and save lives.”
The newest local cases are:
- two Bellmawr men, one each in his 40s and 60s; and two women, one each in her 30s and 50s
- two Berlin Township women, one each in her 40s and 60s
- eight Camden City women, three in their 30s, two in their 20s, one each in her 60s and 80s, and a girl; and five men, one each in his 40s, 50s, and 60s, a teenaged boy, and a boy under 10
- four Cherry Hill Township women, two in their 50s, and one each in her 70s and 80s; and a man in his 40s
- seven Gloucester Township women, four in their 80s and three in their 70s; and six men, two each in their 50s and 70s, and one each in his 30s and 80s
- a Lawnside woman in her 50s
- three Lindenwold women, one each in her 20s, 30s, and 40s; and two men in their 20s
- five Pennsauken Township men, two in their 50s, and one each in his 20s, 60s, and 80s; and two women, one each in her 30s and 50s
- a Pine Hill woman in her 20s
- a Runnemede woman in her 60s
- 10 Voorhees Township women, six in their 80s, three in their 70s, and one in her 60s; and seven men, three in their 70s, two in their 80s, and one each in his 50s and 60s
- two Waterford Township men, one each in his 50s and 70s
- three Winslow Township women, one each in her 30s and 60s, and a teenaged girl; and a man in his 30s
The Camden County and New Jersey Health Departments are working to facilitate trace investigations into all cases.
