On September 23rd, members of the Borough's Public Health Department and OEM, Joan Brennan and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., sent a request to Camden County Health Officer & Public Health Coordinator, Dr. Paschal Nwako, to ask for a reassessment of the sudden increase in Covid-19 deaths identified in Merchantville between Friday, September 18th and 21st. Merchantville suspected that the county had accidentally attributed deaths to Merchantville residents rather than Pennsauken residents who shared our 08109 zip code. The Borough has been following county case and death data tracking for seven months so, the unexpected jump from three (3) to eleven (11) deaths over the weekend was very concerning. Dr. Nwako's team, who had recently evaluated the county deaths numbers to align with the state confirmed deaths numbers available at www.covid19.nj.gov., worked to cross-check the addresses within the 08109 zip code to determine if these persons were indeed residents of Merchantville when the deaths occurred. On Wednesday, October 7th, the Camden County Division of Emergency Management published reconciled all "deaths by municipality" as identified by the County Health Officer and the number of deaths in Merchantville, attributed to Covid-19, was reduced from eleven (11) to one (1).

The CDC director and several other government officials testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and reported that face masks may provide more protection than coronavirus vaccine. Face coverings are “the most powerful public health tool” the nation has against the coronavirus and might even provide better protection against it than a vaccine, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told lawmakers Wednesday. “We have clear scientific evidence they work, and they are our best defense,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said, “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine.” Redfield also predicted that it will take “six to nine” months to get every American vaccinated, saying the U.S. should have enough doses to return to “regular life” by the third quarter of next year. 

Herd immunity is a key concept for epidemic control. It states that only a proportion of a population needs to be immune - through overcoming natural infection or through vaccination - to an infectious agent for it to stop generating large outbreaks. A key question in the current COVID-19 pandemic is how and when herd immunity can be achieved and at what cost. Herd immunity is achieved when one infected person in a population generates less than one secondary case on average, that is, the average number of persons infected by a case dropping below 1 in the absence of interventions. Taking these considerations into account, there is little evidence to suggest that the spread of SARS-CoV-2 might stop naturally before at least 50% of the population has become immune. With flu pandemics, herd immunity is usually attained after two to three epidemic waves, each interrupted by the typical seasonality of influenza virus and more rarely by interventions, with the help of cross-protection through immunity to previously encountered influenza viruses, and vaccines when available

According to WHYY, New Jersey reported another 518 cases of coronavirus on Friday, September 11th, bringing the cumulative total over the last six months of the pandemic to 195,888 positive cases. The state also reported another nine deaths related to the virus, bringing the total to 14,234 confirmed fatalities and 1,789 probable deaths from COVID-19. The state’s rate of transmission was 1.08, meaning for every 100 people testing positive, the virus spreads to 108 more people. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli noted that young people are driving new cases through large social gatherings as well as the return of some college students to campus. People aged 14-18 accounted for 4% of the new positive cases, and residents between the ages of 19-24 made up 6% of new cases. Camden County urges youth to make sure they keep their friends and family safe through a new ad campaign - "Protect Your Circle".

Help Camden County educate others and spread the word about protecting their circle of friends. Camden County provides digital images for your social media pages & feeds on their website. Upload a Facebook Frame: Click the Camera Button next to your profile image on Facebook, choose “Update Profile Picture”, then choose “Add Frame” and search “Camden County – Protect Your Circle”. What you need to know: In general, the more closely you interact with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The Danger Is Invisible. Make sure you keep your friends and family safe by: Wearing A Mask, Avoiding Groups, Staying 6 Feet Apart and Getting Tested. If you decide to engage in public activities, continue to protect yourself by practicing everyday preventive actions. Keep these items on hand when venturing out: a face mask, tissues, and a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if possible. Should you go out? Learn what factors to consider before you head out and about specific tips for different places.