Locally, 12,225 residents have been infected by the virus and 575 have died from related complications. The latest to pass are residents of Camden City, Cherry Hill, Pennsauken, Runnemede, and Voorhees.
By Matt Skoufalos | October 28, 2020
NJDOH COVID-19 Dashboard – 10-27-20. Credit: NJDOH.
Another 12 Camden County residents have lost their battles with novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and 448 others have tested positive for the virus since last Wednesday, according to reports from the Camden County government.
That brings the local impact of the pandemic to 12,225 infected residents and 575 related deaths.
“Based on what we know, the surge is not because of school,” said Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash in a briefing last week.
“It is not because of sports,” he continued. “It is not because of indoor dining at our restaurants. The surge is being caused by a lot of small mistakes that add up really quickly during a volatile crisis such as this.
“We can stop the spread without impacting student learning,” Nash said. “We can stop the spread without affecting small businesses, like our restaurants. Instead, we’re asking everyone to refrain from gathering with people who don’t live in your home, for the time being, unless you can do outdoors, or maintain proper social distancing.
“If, for some reason, you have to have others in your home, then everyone in that small gathering in your home should wear a mask,” he said. “I know that it sometimes feels or sounds unnecessary… but people are asymptomatic, and you don’t really know who is spreading the virus.”
Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash updates the public during an Oct. 22 COVID-19 briefing. Credit: NJ Pen.
The freeholder also alluded to “situations when parents or guardians have not been totally honest with county contact tracers, especially as regards sports activities,” and asked residents to “take this pandemic with all seriousness.
“We know it is in casual settings that we are most at risk,” Nash said.
“Time is of the essence, ensuring that those exposures do not reach new exposures.”
In a written statement Tuesday, Camden County Freeholder-Director Lou Cappelli called upon residents to “make voluntary sacrifices immediately” or else risk “los[ing] control of this pandemic again.
“Countries in Europe are re-instituting lockdowns, hospitalizations in parts of the United States are spiking, the city of Newark is entering a new round of restrictions on non-essential businesses, and officials in Philadelphia are now recommending the cancellation of holiday family gatherings,” Cappelli said.
“I know that we are all tired of dealing with this virus,” he continued, “but if we do not make voluntary sacrifices immediately, then we will lose control of this pandemic again. Do not host or attend gatherings indoors, wear a mask whenever you’re in close proximity to others, and work with our contact tracing team when they call.”
The most recently deceased are:
- a Camden City woman in her 60s
- two Cherry Hill men, one each in his 60s and 90s
- a Pennsauken man in his 70s
- a Runnemede woman in her 70s
- five Voorhees women, four in their 90s and one in her 70s; and two men, one each in his 80s and 90s
Throughout New Jersey, 231,331 people have been sickened by COVID-19, and 14,517 have perished from causes related to the virus. In addition to those lab-confirmed fatalities, the state also recognizes another 1,789 probable COVID-19-related deaths.
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 half of all deaths in the state and almost one-fifth of those infected, and new cases continue to occur there.
Of 12,225 reported local COVID-19 cases, 2,195 (18 percent) have originated in a Camden County LTC facility: 1,544 are residents and 651 are staff.
LTCs are believed to be associated with 60 percent, or 344 of the 575 total deaths in Camden County: 341 were residents and three were staff.
At this time, 50 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 October 27, Camden County was ninth in the state in new COVID-19 cases, with 73.
The newest local cases (448) are:
- two Audubon men, one each in his 30s and 70s, and a teenaged boy; and two women in their 30s
- five Barrington men, two in their 50s, and one each in his 30s, 40s, and 60s; and a woman in her 60s
- four Bellmawr women, two in their 40s, and one each in her 20s and 60s; and four men, two in their 50s, and one each in his 40s and 60s
- a Berlin Borough woman in her 20s, and man in his 30s
- a Berlin Township woman in her 30s
- 47 Camden City women, 12 in their 20s, 11 in their 30s, nine each in their 40s and 50s, five in their 60s, one in her 70s, and two teenaged girls; and 30 men, 10 in their 30s, seven in their 20s, five each in their 50s and 60s, two in their 40s, one in his 70s, seven teenaged boys, and three young boys
- 26 Cherry Hill men, 11 in their 30s, five each in their 40s and 50s, two in their 60s, one each in his 20s, 70s and 80s, four teenaged boys, and one young boy; and 20 women, seven in their 50s, three each in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 60s, one in her 70s, and a teenaged girl
- four Clementon women, three in their 20s and one in her 30s; and a man in his 30s
- three Collingswood women, one each in her 20s, 30s, and 70s, and a teenaged girl and boy
- three Gibbsboro women, one each in her 20s, 30s, and 90s; and a man in his 60s
- four Gloucester City men, two in their 30s, and one each in his 40s and 60s; and a woman in her 20s
- 28 Gloucester Township men, seven in their 20s, six in their 40s, five in their 30s, four in their 50s, three in their 60s, two in their 70s, one in his 80s, eight teenaged boys, and a young boy; and 23 women, six in their 20s, five in their 40s, four in their 30s, three each in their 60s and 70s, two in their 80s, four teenaged girls, and one young girl
- a Haddon Heights woman in her 20s
- four Haddon Township women, two in their 20s, one each in her 30s and 40s, and a teenaged girl; and four men, two in their 50s, and one each in his 20s and 30s
- a Haddonfield woman in her 70s
- two Laurel Springs men, one each in his 20s and 50s; and two women, one each in her 30s and 70s
- three Lawnside women, one each in her 30s, 50s, and 70s; and a man in his 50s
- 11 Lindenwold women, six in their 20s, two in their 30s, one each in her 50s, 60s, and 70s, and a teenaged girl; and 10 men, four in their 20s, three in their 30s, two in their 40s, and one in his 60s
- two Magnolia men, one each in his 20s and 30s; and a teenaged girl
- three Mount Ephraim women, two in their 20s, and one in her 60s
- 31 Pennsauken women, seven in their 50s, six in their 20s, five each in their 30s and 60s, four in their 40s, two in their 90s, one each in her 70s and 80s, and two teenaged girls; and 26 men, six in their 50s, five each in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 60s, three teenaged boys, and a young boy; and a person of unknown gender in their 30s
- three Pine Hill women, two in their 50s, one in her 90s, a teenaged girl, and a young girl; and two men, one each in his 30s and 40s
- two Runnemede women, one each in her 20s and 70s; and a man in his 30s
- three Somerdale women, two in their 20s, and one in her 40s; and three men, one each in his 20s, 30s, and 40s
- two Stratford men, one each in his 20s and 40s; and a woman in her 30s
- 12 Voorhees women, four in their 40s, three in their 50s, two in their 80s, one each in her 30s, 60s, and 70s; and nine men, three in their 20s, one each in his 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 90s, four teenaged boys, and two young boys
- four Waterford men, one each in his 20s, 40s, 60s, and 70s, and three teenaged boys; and four women, two in their 60s, one each in her 20s and 40s, and a teenaged girl;
- 14 Winslow women, five in their 40s, four in their 20s, two each in their 30s and 70s, one in her 50s, a young girl, and a teenaged girl; and 11 men, five in their 30s, four in their 50s, one each in his 40s and 70s, a young boy, and a teenaged boy
- two Woodlynne men, one each in his 20s and 70s; and a woman in her 40s
The Camden County and New Jersey Health Department are working to facilitate trace investigations into all cases.
