“This is a low rate, which is good to see,” Hornsby said.
Seniors have been impacted by the ongoing pandemic more than other age groups.
“All health experts agree that seniors are the most susceptible to the virus,” said Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. “The state offered the program, and it’s a positive for the city.”
Of the state’s more than 201,552 cases, residents over the age of 50 accounted for 98,114 of the total cases, nearly half of the state’s cases. Those in the same age bracket have made up 15,305 of the 16,097 probable deaths.
State health officials did not have a total cost for the program, however they said it would be covered through federal COVID-19 relief funds. The program is scheduled to run until the end of October, but Hornsby believes it will stretch through the end of the year.
“The city of Atlantic City quickly setup COVID-19 testing sites for city residents at Bader Field and the Showboat parking lot and made testing available for nearly five months,” Ryan said. “When the city’s testing sites wound down last month as the State of New Jersey’s coronavirus numbers steadily improved, the New Jersey Department of Health stepped in to continue testing for senior citizens, who are a segment of the population most vulnerable to COVID-19.”
Testing was made available to residents, caretakers and children within each facility only, Ryan said.