August 4, 2021
SHIP BOTTOM, NJ (OCEAN)–The Long Beach Island Health Department (LBIHD) received the first report of a positive Covid-19 case on July 19th that cited attending teen nights in Beach Haven on Sunday July 11th and Tuesday July 13th. LBIHD was then notified on July 26th of an additional positive teenager who attended a teen night on Sunday, 7/18. LBIHD was again notified on August 2nd of (2) laboratory confirmed positive teens that attended Teen Night on Sunday, 7/25 and (1) positive teen that attended a teen night on Tuesday, 7/27.
We received communication from our local urgent care clinicians over this past weekend citing a significant uptick in testing and positive outcome of teenagers that referenced attending teen nights the week prior. We also received several calls of parents of teenagers testing positive all having recent local teen night club attendance. Based on laboratory confirmed and office reporting as of August 3, (11) positive teens all with a common attendance at teen nights.
The State Health Department has been notified of this community cluster. It can be challenging to identify the full scope of this cluster due to under reporting, cases can be dispersed over the state and region during the height of the summer season. However, we will be actively associating any reported cases to our jurisdiction that share this common element.
If you have attended these venues within the last 14 days and are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, regardless of immunization status, we would advise testing. The recommended time to seek testing in no sooner than 5 days after an exposure to ensure if transmission and infection from the virus occurred it will be captured.
We would advise both parents and teenagers that events that bring teenagers together in large numbers and social atmospheres pose significant risk of Covid-19 transmission. Unlike more structured and regulated organizations that host youth, teens night often do not require health screening, immunization status, social distance, masking or negative covid-19 tests. The latest immunization coverage updated by CDC on 7/29/21 for those 12-15 yrs of age is 27% and for those 16-24 yrs. of age is 41%. Immunizations are widely available for 12 and older and we strongly encourage receiving the vaccine.
Please feel free to contact our local health Department at 609-492-1212 or the local health department in the respective jurisdiction you reside.
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