On July 30, 2021, the Camden County Department of Health is announced 44 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the aggregate number of confirmed positive cases in Camden County to 50,293 and 1,237 total fatalities. During the past week the county has averaged between 40-60 new cases a day. “New data from the CDC has shed light on just easily the Delta variant can be spread. Unfortunately, the fact is that this pandemic is not over,” said County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. “We need everyone to continue doing their part to protect our community. If you are vaccinated, start wearing your mask again when indoors and following any additional public health guidance. If you’re not vaccinated, get your shot as soon as possible.”No cases were identified in Merchantville but, involved residents living in the following municipalities.
Masking Strongly Recommended
A day after federal officials tightened coronavirus mask guidance, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that all people in New Jersey, regardless of vaccination status, are ”strongly recommended” to wear masks indoors in settings where there is “increased risk” — but stopped short of mandating face coverings again. New Jersey has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, with more than 70% of its eligible population fully inoculated. Eight New Jersey counties fall into the category of“substantial” transmission, according to CDC data, with Monmouth County is listed as having “high” transmission. The state said masking is recommended in the following scenarios with increased risk: crowded indoor settings, indoor settings involving activities in close contact with others who may not be fully vaccinated, indoor settings where others’ vaccine status is unknown and when an individual is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease.
$200M School Relief
New Jersey's Department of Education will receive $2.765 billion to allocate to school districts and Camden County public schools can expect more than $200 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to get students back in buildings and on track academically after more than a year of learning disruptions. Merchantville School District is slated to receive $779,000. Disbursements to districts vary and are based on a funding formula accounting for the number of students enrolled in the district, poverty demographics and school building age.
No-Shows Complicate Vaccine Roll-Out
Officials at the Camden County Vaccination Center are urging residents to cancel their upcoming appointments if they receive their vaccination at another site. Failing to arrive at your scheduled appointment slows the rollout process and deprives someone else the opportunity to get their shot sooner than expected. In recent weeks, a growing number of patients have managed to secure earlier appointments at other sites in South Jersey thanks to an increase in vaccine providers but are often not cancelling their existing appointments at the Vaccination Center. These “no-shows” leave dozens of appointments unfilled when other patients could have been brought in earlier. You can cancel an existing appointment through the MyCooper platform, or by calling (856) 549-0530.
County Covid Reports
The Camden County Office of Emergency Management will no longer be providing a Situation Report daily via email to municipalities. The Camden County Website can be monitored for any COVID-19 updates. The most recent Weekly Situation Reports on Merchantville Borough announced 7 new cases between April 06, 2021 – April 12, 2021; 6 new cases between April 13, 2021 – April 19, 2021; and, 8 new cases between April 20, 2021 – April 26, 2021. Merchantville has added 24 cases since April 1st for a total of 344 coronavirus cases to date.
March 2021 COVID Update
In the month of March, there were a total of 30 new COVID-19 cases reported in Merchantville by the county, three more cases than in February. On March 1, 2021 there were 289 cases and on March 31, 2021, 319 cases. Nearly 2 million people in New Jersey have been fully vaccinated with more on track to get the shot soon, as Gov. Phil Murphy announced earlier this week that all New Jersey residents ages 16 and older will be eligible for the vaccine beginning April 19. At least one in four recent COVID-19 infections diagnosed in New Jersey is likely linked to a coronavirus variant and state officials warn other new strains are probably on the way. Last week New Jersey recorded more than 4,000 new coronavirus diagnoses every day and nearly 25,000 people have died as a result of COVID-19. Register for the vaccine through Camden County here.
Vaccination Where? When?
Currently in New Jersey, vaccines are available to paid and unpaid healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term and congregate care facilities, first responders including sworn law enforcement and fire professionals, individuals over 65, and individuals 16-64 with certain medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus, as defined by the CDC. If you are eligible to receive a vaccine, there are multiple ways to get vaccinated: pre-register and make an appointment through the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System. Register here; make an appointment directly with a vaccination location. View locations here; you work at a select healthcare facility, make an appointment through your place of work; and veterans who receive care from VA health facilities or live in VA long-term care facilities may be eligible for vaccines through the VA. Learn more here. If you experience an error, need support with the scheduling system, or need to correct an error, you can complete an online form at covid19.nj.gov/vaccinehelp or call 855-568-0545 for phone support from 8 am to 8 pm. Due to high call volumes, callers are experiencing long wait times. If you make your first dose appointment through the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System, you will receive an automatically scheduled second dose appointment and you will be emailed a confirmation with the details of your second dose appointment.