Camden County Preparing For Possible Kids' Vaccine By Halloween

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Children in New Jersey could be getting more than candy for Halloween this year if former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb’s prediction proves correct.

Gottlieb predicted on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the FDA will approve the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 by the end of October — by Halloween, in fact. Read more here: Kids’ COVID Vaccine May Be Approved By Halloween: Former FDA Head

It wouldn’t come a minute too soon in Camden County, where Senior Infectious Disease Investigator Rianna DeLuca says there has been a “significant increase” of coronavirus cases among residents between the ages of 5 and 18 years old.

Over the weekend, the county saw 117 new cases among residents under the age of 18, according to information provided by the Camden County Health Department.

The average age of the 356 Camden County residents diagnosed with the coronavirus between Saturday and Monday is 31.

How that vaccine is distributed to children locally remains to be seen, Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said.

“We’re in the process of making that decision now,” Cappelli said during a news conference Monday afternoon. “We’re still awaiting guidance from the federal government and the state before we make a final decision concerning children.”

The number of cases continues to rise in Camden County, which sawnearly 800 new cases of the coronavirus last week. The source of the new cases appears to be family gatherings and spread within households, DeLuca said.

None of Camden County’s school districts are reportedly in violation of the mask mandates handed down by the state before the start of the academic year. Read more here: NJ K-12 Students Must Wear Masks This Fall, Murphy Says

“With schools, if you have COVID-compatible symptoms, we urge you to get tested,” DeLuca said. “If you have siblings who are also school age, we urge them to get tested.”

There is currently one COVID-19 testing site opened in Camden County, at Camden County College in Camden City. It is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. County officials will decide this week if more testing sites are needed, Cappelli said.

As of Monday, 54,682 Camden County residents have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. There have been 1,262 total deaths, including five new ones that were reported from Saturday through Monday.

As of Monday, 329,285 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 297,046 are fully vaccinated. More information regarding vaccination rates throughout the county and available on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard at covid19.nj.gov.

The county Health Department is continuing to closely track new cases of COVID-19 and information regarding the prevalence of the Delta variant. New cases are often reassigned to other municipalities over the course of an investigation.

More information regarding Camden County’s preparations and response related to the COVID-19 pandemic is available by visiting camdencounty.com. Residents should frequently check the county webpage and social media for up-to-date information.