Protecting yourself in this new year is one of the best resolutions you can make. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster provides the best available protection from the current Omicron variant and can minimize the effects if you catch COVID. The Cape May County Department of Health is offering a mobile and centralized standalone vaccine clinic every week to provide options for County residents. These clinics will provide initial doses and booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Individuals that have received the Moderna vaccine must wait six months before receiving the booster shot. People who have taken the Johnson & Johnson vaccine need to wait two months before getting the booster. Anyone who is 18 years of age or older is now eligible for the COVID-19 booster shot throughout all of New Jersey. These are walk-in clinics. Masks, identification, and COVID-19 Vaccine Cards (if applicable) are required for all clinic locations. 

The Cape May County Department of Health administered a total of 21,156 doses so far. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 76,225 Cape May County residents have received at least one vaccine dose and 64,688 have been fully vaccinated. The CDC also reports that 70% of the County’s population is fully vaccinated. 

“The Omicron variant is spreading throughout the United States at record levels, so what we are seeing here in Cape May County is not unique,” said Cape May County Commissioner Director Gerald M. Thornton. “We ask everyone, especially those in higher risk categories, to get vaccinated to protect yourself and your families.”

For more information on obtaining the vaccine, quickly and free of charge, go to https://capemaycountynj.gov/226/Health-Department or call (609) 465-1187. Cape May County has recorded 16,235 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, 14,138 of those are now off quarantine. More details on daily reported case numbers can be found at https://capemaycountynj.gov/1418/Covid-19-Dashboard.

Sadly, we are reporting that a 48-year-old male from Middle Township, a 61-year-old male from Wildwood Crest, a 88-year-old male from Middle Township and a 90-year-old female from Lower Township have passed away, “My condolences to these families,” said Thornton. “My most sincere sympathies and heartfelt prayers.”