Virtua Sees Uptick In COVID-19 Cases, Child Respiratory Illnesses

Virtua Health has seen a surge in hospitalizations among both children and adults infected with the coronavirus, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Khelil said during a news conference on Wednesday.

“Five or six weeks ago, we had a handful of hospitalizations,” Khelil said. “Today, we have several dozen, and the overwhelming number are unvaccinated.”

The increase is being pushed by the delta variant, a more contagious variant of COVID-19 that was first identified in India.

“We are also seeing an uptick in children presenting to our emergency departments with upper respiratory illnesses,” Khelil said. “We have had to transfer children from our hospital system into Philadelphia for higher level care. We are seeing people getting very, very sick, very, very quickly, and it is something we have to have a very healthy respect for.”

She spoke during a news conference in Camden County alongside county, health and school officials.

Camden County has seen 75 new cases a day for the last week. The infection rate is 1.3 percent, the test positivity rate is 5.3 percent, and hospitalizations have increased by 23 percent, officials said.

As of Tuesday, there have been 51,515 cases of the coronavirus and 1,242 coronavirus-related deaths in Camden County since the pandemic began in March 2020.

As of Tuesday, 311,259 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 282,260 are fully vaccinated.

As of Wednesday, there have been 46,687 coronavirus cases and 891 coronavirus-related deaths in Burlington County since the beginning of the pandemic.

County officials are urging those who are immunocompromised to get their third shot, which Camden County Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher said just completes the series for the immunocompromised and doesn’t constitute a booster shot.

• Read more here: 3rd Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available In Camden County
• Read more here: 3rd Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available In Burlington County

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced booster shots would be available as of Sept. 20. It is strongly recommended that when getting a booster shot, residents get the same series they got in the first two shots, Lasher said.

They don’t need to go to the same place they got their first two shots, though. Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young said the county is in discussions to reopen the COVID-19 vaccination center at Camden County College, but no final decision has been made yet.

The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Camden City provides vaccinations every Thursday, 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the county is hosting pop-up clinics in areas with low vaccination rates.

Services, including testing and vaccinations, remain available in community pharmacies, hospitals, and from other local providers.

More information regarding Camden County's preparations and response related to the COVID-19 pandemic is available by visiting camdencounty.com.

The Burlington County Health Department continues to administer vaccines four days a week at rotating sites. The clinics run on the following schedule:

• Mondays from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center, 53 Academy Drive, Westampton (drive-thru clinic);
• Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Palmyra Community Center, 30 West Broad, Palmyra;
• Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. at the Weimann Building, 400 Delanco Road, Edgewater Park;
• Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bordentown Township Senior Center, 3 Municipal Drive, Bordentown.

Appointments for the clinics can be made online using the online registry at covid19.nj.gov or by calling 1-855-568-0545. Walk-ins without appointments are also welcome.

Walk-ins without appointments are also welcome. Walk-ins without appointments are also welcome. All four clinics now offer the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Those who receive Moderna or Pfizer will be informed of their second-dose date.

Anyone who has any questions about the vaccine can contact their healthcare provider. Caregivers or representatives of immunocompromised individuals can call the New Jersey Vaccine Call Center at 855-568-0545 for additional guidance. To find a vaccination location in New Jersey, visit covid19.nj.com/finder.