How COVID Rise Impacts Hospital Capacities In Camden County

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The recent spike in COVID-19 cases has put New Jersey hospitals under some strain. The state reported 1,526 hospital patients with confirmed or suspected cases — its highest figure since April 30.

Here's how hospitals in Camden County fared the week of Nov. 18 — the most recent period of available data from the Department of Health and Human Services:

• Virtua Hospital in Voorhees: 29.01 percent of inpatient beds available, 59.52 percent of ICU beds available
• Jefferson Hospital in Stratford: 47.09 percent of inpatient beds available, 68.6 percent of ICU beds available
• Virtua Our Lady Lourdes in Camden: 32.65 percent of inpatient beds available, 41.1 percent of ICU beds available
• Cooper University Hospital in Camden: 23.38 percent of inpatient beds available, 42.65 percent of ICU beds available

The ratio of COVID-19 hospitalizations to total beds provides insight into how much strain a hospital is under. The ratio becomes concerning when it rises higher than 10 percent and represents "extreme stress" above 20 percent, hospital-capacity experts told NPR.

NPR has COVID-19 data on four Camden County hospitals — none of which exceeded the 10 percent threshold. Virtua Hospital in Voorhees reported 8 percent of beds in use by COVID patients, while Virtua Our Lady Lourdes in Camden and Cooper University Hospital in Camden each had 6 percent in use by patients with the virus. Jefferson Hospital in Stratford checked in at 5 percent.

Despite the recent increase in hospitalizations, New Jersey has made progress compared to this time a year ago, when the state reported 3,572 COVID inpatients.

As of Friday, there have been 64,714 Camden County residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began in March 2020. There have been 1,370 deaths.

“Case counts continue to rise, but the good news is that children ages 16 and 17 can now receive Pfizer booster shots” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “All adults have been eligible for nearly a month now, and this new age bracket will only help us in our fight against this virus. Boosters add to the protection the initial two doses give you, so please, if you haven’t done so already, get vaccinated and get your booster. You can make an appointment for your first or second dose or your booster shot at the Camden County Health Hub by visiting www.CamdenCountyVaccine.com.”

As of Friday, 370,863 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 326,138 are fully vaccinated and 97,184 have received a third dose.

More information regarding vaccination rates throughout the county and available on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard at covid19.nj.gov.