Camden County Sees 200 New COVID Cases In 1 Day For 1st Time

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Camden County saw more than 200 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, according to county officials. It is the first time since the pandemic began in March that the number of new cases has exceeded 200.

There were 242 new cases reported throughout the county on Thursday, but no new deaths. Trace investigations are underway in all new cases.

“We’ve had 463 cases in four days,” Camden County Freeholder Jeff Nash said during a news conference alongside Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) and Communicable Disease Investigator Rianna Deluca. “We had 559 cases last week, and we’re averaging 111 cases a day, the highest seven-day average we’ve seen during the crisis.”

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Camden County has now seen 13,334 cases and 581 confirmed deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. It has seen 1,561 cases among residents and 675 cases among staff at the county's 56 long-term care facilities. At this time, 343 residents and three staff members have died in relation to these facilities.

“This is the largest total of new cases we have ever seen in a single day in Camden County. We have to get back to the mindset we had in the spring and work to flatten this curve,” Camden County Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “Experts have been warning for months that we were at risk of a fall resurgence of COVID-19, and it appears that we are now in the middle of that surge. Our contact tracing team continues to report that indoor gatherings, among other factors, are driving the spike. We need to flatten this curve and get this virus under control. That can only happen if we all immediately alter our behavior so as to reduce the risk of spreading the disease.”

Nash said many of the cases are not severe, but hospitalizations are increasing. Read more here: Rate Of Coronavirus Hospitalizations At Virtua Triples: Officials

The report comes as New Jersey reports its second consecutive day with more than 2,000 positive tests for the first time since the end of April. Read more here: 1st Back-T0-Back 2K COVID Days Since April As NJ 'Hotspots' ID'd

The previous highest number of new cases in a single-day in Camden County was 195, on May 9, according to numbers provided by county officials. One-hundred sixty-five cases were reported on April 27, and 150 new cases were reported on April 16.

New cases remained below 100 in a single day until Oct. 13, when 135 new cases were reported. The breakdown of the number of new cases since Saturday can be found below:

• Oct. 31: 109
• Nov. 1: 133
• Nov. 2: 106
• Nov. 3: 131
• Nov. 4: 93

During this time, one new death was reported, involving a Waterford man in his 90s.

"The virus is spreading at a rapid pace," Nash said. "We're seeing it revert to trends we saw in March and April."

Below is the breakdown of where new cases were reported on Thursday, with how many were reported in that town, and how many cases and deaths there have been since the pandemic began in each:

• Audubon: 3 new cases, 132 total, 4 deaths;
• Barrington: 1 new case, 86 total; 3 deaths;
• Bellmawr: 2 new cases, 239 total, 9 deaths;
• Berlin Borough: 6 new cases, 149 total, 9 deaths;
• Berlin Township: 3 new cases, 79 total, 0 deaths;
• Brooklawn: 1 new case, 40 total, 0 deaths;
• Camden City: 82 new cases, 3,416 total, 89 deaths;
• Cherry Hill: 24 new cases, 1,724 total, 157 deaths;
• Clementon: 5 new cases, 132 total 3 deaths;
• Collingswood: 5 new cases, 239 total, 13 deaths;
• Gibbsboro: 1 new case, 30 total, 0 deaths;
• Gloucester City: 8 new cases, 188 total, 4 deaths;
• Gloucester Township: 20 new cases, 1,366 total, 62 deaths;
• Haddon Heights: 2 new cases, 72 total, 3 deaths;
• Haddon Township: 5 new cases, 181 total, 5 deaths;
• Lawnside: 1 new case, 103 total, 1 death;
• Lindenwold: 3 new cases, 681 total, 9 deaths;
• Magnolia: 3 new cases, 52 total, 0 deaths;
• Merchantville: 3 new cases, 99 total, 1 death;
• Oaklyn: 1 new case, 51 total, 1 death;
• Pennsauken: 25 new cases, 1,250 total, 26 deaths;
• Pine Hill: 3 new cases, 235 total, 4 deaths;
• Runnemede: 1 new case, 129 total, 5 deaths;
• Somerdale: 4 new cases, 98 total, 1 death;
• Stratford: 3 new cases, 113 total, 2 deaths;
• Voorhees: 7 new cases, 908 total, 120 deaths;
• Waterford: 5 new cases, 190 total, 3 deaths; and
• Winslow: 17 new cases, 942 total, 35 deaths.

Haddonfield had no new cases reported on Thursday, but has 144 since the beginning of the pandemic and five deaths.

Officials reiterated that indoor gatherings remain the top reason for the recent spike in cases. They reminded people that when they get together, they should do it outside. When dining out, masks should be kept on at all times unless the person is eating or drinking.

"Eating and drinking is not a loophole for not having your mask on," Nash said.

He said they are seeing cases in schools and youth sports, although these are not considered "superspreaders." Nash reminded residents that the status of schools remaining open or going all-remote is ultimately up to the New Jersey Department of Education.