The Cape May County Health Department reported the death of an 87-year-old Lower Township woman Monday from COVID-19.
“We are celebrating the life of a good citizen of Cape May County and mourning their passing,” said Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton. “She is remembered in our thoughts and prayers.”
The number of new coronavirus cases is five, bringing the total figure for Cape May County to 521, including 41 deaths.
The following is a breakdown of the number of cases and deaths for each municipality in Cape May County:
| MUNICIPALITY | ACTIVE CASES | REPORTED TODAY | OFF QUARANTINE | DEATHS | LONG TERM CARE ACTIVE CASES | LONG TERM CARE OFF QUARANTINE | LONG TERM CARE CENTER DEATHS |
| AVALON | 0 | 7 | |||||
| CAPE MAY CITY | 1 | 3 | |||||
| CAPE MAY POINT | 0 | ||||||
| DENNIS TOWNSHIP | 4 | 15 | 1 | 26 | 2 | ||
| LOWER TOWNSHIP | 22 | 1 | 54 | 3 | 61 | 12 | 24 |
| MIDDLE TOWNSHIP | 19 | 2 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| NORTH WILDWOOD | 4 | 7 | |||||
| OCEAN CITY | 9 | 23 | 0 | 1 | |||
| SEA ISLE CITY | 0 | 2 | |||||
| STONE HARBOR | 1 | ||||||
| UPPER TOWNSHIP | 17 | 1 | 37 | 2 | |||
| WEST CAPE MAY | 1 | 2 | |||||
| WEST WILDWOOD | 3 | 1 | |||||
| WILDWOOD | 1 | 29 | |||||
| WILDWOOD CREST | 2 | 9 | |||||
| WOODBINE | 7 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 6 | |
| TOTAL ACTIVE | 91 | 118 | 17 | ||||
| TOTAL RECOVERED | 254 | ||||||
| TOTAL DECEASED | 9 | 32 | |||||
| TOTAL CASES IN CAPE MAY COUNTY | 521 |
Contact Tracing Information and Job Portal
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, according to the county press release.
All contact tracing of these positive cases is performed by the Cape May County Department of Health nursing staff
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 are encouraged to stay home and maintain social distance from others (at least 6 feet) until 14 days after their last exposure, in case they also become ill.
They should monitor themselves by checking their temperature twice daily and watching for cough or shortness of breath. To the extent possible, public health staff should check in with contacts to make sure they are self-monitoring and have not developed symptoms. 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.
Recently, Gov. Phil Murphy highlighted the state’s effort to build a contact-tracing corps that will supplement the roughly 800 staff and volunteers now doing this work on a local and county level, the release said.
The governor said the state would tap public health students at Rutgers University and other colleges for assistance, plus contract with a staffing company to hire additional tracers.
