Correction: The article incorrectly reported that the most commonly affected age range for COVID-19 cases in Maplewood was 40-49 years old; it is actually 50-59 years old.
Township Health Officer Candice Davenport gave an extensive Public Health report for the month of May at Tuesday’s virtual Township Committee meeting.
Davenport said that 215 of Maplewood’s 299 COVID infections are recovery cases, and that new cases have slowed significantly, from 205 cases in April to 36 new cases in May.
The most commonly affected age range in Maplewood was 50-59-year-olds, at 27% of cases. The gender breakdown of COVID-19 deaths in Maplewood, which is almost 50-50 at 13 women and 12 men, “oddly mimics…the state distribution.” There have been very few pediatric cases of COVID in Maplewood. Twenty-five residents have passed away due to the disease.
See Davenport’s full report here:
As of May 20, almost 4% of town residents have been tested for the virus, with 28.4% of those tests coming back positive. Both of these figures are slightly lower than those for Essex County. Antibody tests have been performed as well; of the 444 tests conducted, there have been 391 negatives and 53 positives (11.9%). “The antibody tests help public health officials determine if a community has been affected, and to what extent,” Davenport explained.
Davenport reminded residents to wear face coverings to protect each other when within 6 feet of one another, and shared Governor Murphy’s blueprint for re-opening the NJ economy, which can be found here.
Finally, she urged anyone participating in protests to continue to practice social distancing, wear face masks, and practice respiratory hygiene. “It is possible to engage civically within a global pandemic safely,” said Davenport. She also highlighted forms of virtual civic engagement, and shared resources on coping with racial trauma and treating mental health.
There will be testing available June 9 at the Nutley Recreation Building (44 Park Ave in Nutley) from 4-6:30pm. Testing continues to be available for Essex County residents (asymptomatic and symptomatic) at Newark’s Weequahic Park and limited testing is available at CVS Maplewood.
Also, COVID viral and antibody testing will be available behind the Maplewood OEM building, on Boyden Ave from Monday June 8th to Friday June 12th from 8 am -4 pm. on a first-come, first-served basis.
