VIRUS: TWO MORE ATRIUM DEATHS REPORTED

Patrons dining in pandemic bubbles outside Red Rock Tap + Grill in Red Bank earlier this month. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Two more residents of the Atrium at Navesink Harbor in Red Bank have died from COVID-19 related causes, the the New Jersey Health Department reported late Wednesday.

• At the Atrium, a luxury assisted living facility on Riverside Avenue, 12 residents have now died of confirmed COVID-19 causes since November 27, the state reported in its latest update on longterm care facilities.

The facility is considered to be experiencing an “outbreak” that began in late September. The state defines an outbreak as one or more positive test results within the prior 28 days.

As previously reported by redbankgreen, the Atrium was cited by state health inspectors for “deficiencies” in its COVID-19 prevention efforts. Facility owner Springpoint Senior Living said last week that the shortcomings have been addressed.

Statewide, some 80 percent of New Jersey’s more than 18,500 confirmed COVID-19 victims have been aged 65 or older, with 7,616 residents of longterm-care facilities and 140 facility staff workers killed in the pandemic, according to the state’s dashboard.

• The YMCA of Greater Monmouth County and the VNA of Central Jersey Community Health Centers have teamed up to provide COVID-19 vaccines to eligible residents in Monmouth County.

Since earlier this month, the organizations have administered more than 600 doses at the Red Bank Family YMCA on Maple Avenue, they said in a press release.

The vaccine is free for those who fit the eligibility criteria. The registration site asks for insurance information in case the patient has to be billed. Those without insurance can still receive the vaccine.

Vaccines are offered by appointment Monday through Friday. Those who are eligible must register in advance here.

• The Monmouth County Board of  Commissioners plans to announce the creation of a vaccination site at Brookdale Community College, according to a press alert.

Further details about the program, to be hosted at the Lincroft college’s Robert J. Collins Arena, are to slated be disclosed Friday morning.

• In their daily update Thursday, Monmouth County officials reported 315 new cases and 9 more deaths, for a pandemic total of 1,093. They also announced these cumulative cases by town:

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