Two representatives from the Camden County Health Department offered vaccine and virus updates to the board of commissioners at a recent session on Oct. 24 prior to the commissioners’ regular meeting.
Lynn Rosner, who oversees health education and is a family-care coordinator and tobacco dependence specialist, informed the board that the Health Hub at Camden County College offers COVID vaccinations Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. They include the bivalent booster and other COVID vaccines. The hub also provides vaccines for people whose health insurance doesn’t cover them and those without insurance at all.
For questions or making appointments for COVID vaccinations, residents can call the hotline at (856) 549-0530.
While residents will not be able to get flu shots at the site, the county has been holding popups vaccination clinics since the beginning of October and the last two vaccination clinics will be on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at the Harry Williams Community Center in Runnemede from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at the Voorhees Town Center on Monday, Nov. 7 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Both flu and COVID vaccines will be available at the clinic.
Rosner also shared that the county offers a homebound vaccination service, where the county works with its health partners to give vaccinations at the patient’s home. To arrange for homebound vaccinations, for the flu or COVID vaccines, residents can call (856) 549-0530.
Gabrielle Sweeney, epidemiologist at the county department of health, said that the COVID numbers have decreased and slowed in recent weeks – both the daily case average and hospitalizations and deaths – and that outbreaks are primarily happening in long-term care facilities. She recommended that those taking at-home tests report them to the county department of health.
In other news, Sweeney encouraged people to get their flu shots, as the southwest region of the country is at moderate risk now. The county has seen more reports of hand foot and mouth disease in daycares recently, and while there have not been any cases of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) in the county, she noted severe cases in other parts of the country.
RSV can be serious in infants and toddlers; symptoms include runny nose, cough, sneezing, fever, wheezing and a decrease in appetite.
With winter approaching, Rosner raised the possibility of COVID cases and flu cases increasing.
“Recently, all of our deaths have been in senior citizens who have underlying conditions, so I would definitely advise them to still be taking precautions for COVID, even if the rest of the population is not,” Sweeney warned.
The next board of health meeting will be on Dec. 27 at 7 p.m.
