COVID Cluster From Beach Haven Teen Nights Rises To 21 Cases

BEACH HAVEN, NJ — The number of confirmed COVID cases among teenagers who attended teen night clubs in Beach Haven is up to 21 cases, health officials said.

The Long Beach Island Health Department released a statement on Thursday reporting 10 new positive cases of COVID-19 following the initial 11 they announced on Tuesday of this week. The positive cases are the result of laboratory-confirmed tests and office reporting.

“The COVID-19 community cluster has evolved into an outbreak investigation due to the number of reported cases and links to teen nights in Beach Haven going back to July 11th,” the LBI Health Department said in a statement.

The locations of the teen nights were not released by the health department.

Beach Haven officials told CBS2 that they have reached out to the businesses that host teen nights and asked them to consider cancelling teen nights for the rest of the summer.

The state health department has been notified of the community cluster, according to the LBI Health Department.

"It can be challenging to identify the full scope of this cluster due to under reporting, cases can be dispersed over the state and region during the height of the summer season. However, we will be actively associating any reported cases to our jurisdiction that share this common element," the LBI Health Department said.

The LBI Health Department received the first report of a positive COVID-19 case on July 19, which cited teen night attendance in Beach Haven on July 11 and July 13. The health department was notified again on July 26 of another positive teenager who attended a teen night on July 18.

The LBI Health Department was notified a third time on Aug. 2 of two laboratory-confirmed positive teenagers that attended teen night on July 25 and one positive teenager that attended a teen night on July 27.

The LBI Health Department is urging anyone who has attended these venues within the last 14 days and are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to get tested for COVID-19. The recommended time to seek testing is no sooner than five days after exposure to ensure if transmission and infection from the virus occurred it will be captured.

“We would advise both parents and teenagers that events that bring teenagers together in large numbers and social atmospheres pose significant risk of COVID-19 transmission,” the LBI Health Department said. “Unlike more structured and regulated organizations that host youth, teens night often do not require health screening, immunization status, social distance, masking or negative COVID-19 tests.”

The health department advises people to get tested regardless of whether they have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

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