4 Cherry Hill Residents Die Of Coronavirus; 42 New Cases

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Four Cherry Hill residents were among 10 new coronavirus-related deaths announced in Camden County on Thursday. Additionally, 42 Cherry Hill residents were among 296 new cases reported countywide. Trace investigations are underway in all new cases.

The new Cherry Hill deaths included a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 50s, a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s. There have now been 166 coronavirus-related deaths in Cherry Hill since the pandemic began. The death toll countywide is 659.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, and we are wishing a full and fast recovery to the hundreds of county residents currently battling this disease,” Camden County Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “Our daily average of new cases is now greater than 350. We are continuing to see unprecedented case growth and hospitalizations and fatalities are beginning to trend upwards as a result. This pandemic will hopefully be over in the coming months, but it will do tremendous damage in the meantime if we do not actively fight it. Please continue to wear a mask, social distance, and avoid all indoor gatherings.”

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The other coronavirus-related deaths announced on Thursday included:

• A Runnemede man in his 80s;
• A Pennsauken woman in her 70s;
• A Pennsauken man in his 80s;
• A Gloucester Township man in his 60s;
• A Lawnside woman in her 70s; and
• A Berlin man in his 50s.

Cherry Hill has had 2,848 cases of the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, according to numbers provided by the Camden County Department of Health. Countywide, there have been 23,024 cases.

The Department of Health also announced that 1,756 residents in the county's 56 long-term care facilities have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 362 have died. Among staff members at these facilities, 884 cases and three deaths have been reported.

Freeholder Barbara Holcomb will join Camden County Health Department Director Anne Walters and Dr. Jen Khelil of Virtua Health to update residents on the county’s response to the pandemic at 10 a.m. Friday morning. The address will be streamed live on the County’s Facebook page and at camdencounty.com/live.

“We are fighting a war multiple fronts, combatting the ongoing surge in cases, preparing for vaccination distributions, and working to prevent a second surge around the holidays,” Holcomb said. “We will be delivering critical information regarding the county’s response to the fall surge, including new resources for testing, food distribution, and more. As always we invite the public to join us live and to submit questions in advance using the submission form located on camdencounty.com.”

Khelil will provide an update on how Virtua is handling the ongoing surge in cases. She is the senior vice president and chief medical officer at Virtua, where she collaborates with the leadership team to provide clinical oversight to all system practices while focusing on high reliability, quality and safety, and patient outcomes. She also provides leadership for Physician Services and Medical Affairs.