From County Commissioners Gerald Thornton and Jeffrey Pierson:
The people of Cape May County have taken steps necessary to weather the Covid omicron variant surge. Over the course of the past few weeks, like much of the United States, Cape May County has seen the highest number of daily positive Covid cases ever.
Mercifully, our hospital in-patient numbers have remained at a non-crisis level. There are several reasons we are seeing hospitalization rates lower than with previous variants. Studies indicate that Omicron is not causing severe symptoms in as many people as previous strains. Another very important factor is the vaccination rate.
In December of 2020, the Cape May County Department of Health set out on an ambitious plan to provide the vaccine to as many Cape May County residents as possible, as quickly as possible. A full-time vaccine clinic was set up at Avalon Community Hall.
Mobile vaccine efforts were focused on communities of color. Radio, print, and television advertising encouraged Cape May County residents to get vaccinated. As a result, Cape May County is in the top five of the 21 New Jersey counties in terms of numbers of residents fully vaccinated and has surpassed the Governor’s goal of 70% fully vaccinated.
This is especially true of our most vulnerable population, Senior Citizens. In Cape May County, less than 300 residents 65 or older remain to be vaccinated.
As a direct result of these efforts, out of roughly 93,000 Cape May County residents, only approximately 1450 residents tested positive for Covid infection in the past two weeks and only 26 residents were hospitalized for Covid-related symptoms as of December 29, 2021.
The Omicron wave remains a concern and a challenge. We pray for those hospitalized and for the families of those we have lost. Businesses and governmental entities are having to innovate to stay open in the face of employees being out with Covid-19. Yet, as Cape May County residents have done for almost two years now, our families, businesses, and governmental entities are showing incredible resilience.
We now know exponentially more about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, then we did two years ago. We have vaccines and we have effective medical therapies. We also know that Covid targets its most brutal symptoms at the most vulnerable among us, the elderly and those with serious underlying health conditions.
It is the obligation of every Cape May County resident to do everything we can to protect these most vulnerable members of our community. Wear masks around them. Disinfect and wash hands before coming into contact with them. Make sure to get them tested if they show symptoms, as most medical therapies work best if applied early on.
As 2021 comes to a close, we must be prepared for what Covid may bring in 2022. But we must do so with a commitment to returning to normal as much as we can.
We support an approach where businesses, government facilities and, most especially, our schools stay open. We owe it to our children to allow them as normal a school experience as possible after the incredible challenges they faced with remote learning. We can do this, as we have said, Safely-Together.
The County of Cape May is opening a dedicated vaccine and booster clinic at Avalon Community Hall that will be open every Wednesday from 2-5 P.M. The County is also working on bringing in greater testing capacity so that everyone who wishes to get tested can do so.
There are many people who have helped position Cape May County to weather this pandemic, from County and Local elected officials, business leaders, healthcare professionals and others. But the people of Cape May County deserve a great deal of credit for getting vaccinated and doing what it takes to protect our most vulnerable residents.
On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, we thank you.
