As of today, Camden County will have delivered more than 25,000 meals to seniors in need during the Covid-19 pandemic. Freeholder Jonathan Young thanked the dedicated public servants at the Division of Senior Services, Public Works, Parks, Building and Ops, and other county employees who are making these deliveries and coordinating the logistics of such a herculean effort." He continued, “Like critical workers across the county, many of these men and women continue to leave their home each day in the service of others. It is thanks to them and their efforts that the people of Camden County have a safety net they can rely on, and we are incredibly thankful for their hard work and commitment to service." If you or a senior you know needs meal assistance, please call (856) 374-MEAL or (856) 858-3220 to make arrangements.

Mayor Brennan recorded a video message for the community from home last evening. He thanked residents and small businesses for their personal efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus by "flattening the curve" through through social distancing and staying at home. He's been very encouraged to see the level of small business support. Mayor Brennan also announce a new initiative in town to pool resources to provide help to those in need. This initiative, intended to address the personal welfare of residents during and after this pandemic, involves a cooperative effort between the municipality, the school and Merchantville's faith-based leaders. If you have needs or know of anyone with needs that are not being met please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Emails will be monitored by the Borough and acted on by this cooperative.

As we enter April the common refrain heard from some officials and others who sought to downplay the severity of coronavirus in February and early March - that it wasn't worth worrying about, because more people were likely to get sick or die from the flu than COVID-19 - may not stand up any longer. Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, explains how the flu and COVID-19 are similar and how they are different. While both the flu and COVID-19 may be transmitted in similar ways, there is also a possible difference, COVID-19 might be spread through the airborne route, meaning that tiny droplets remaining in the air could cause disease in others even after the ill person is no longer near. The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly. Since this disease is caused by a new virus, people do not have immunity to it, and a vaccine may be many months away. Doctors and scientists are working on estimating the mortality rate of COVID-19, but at present, it is thought to be higher than that of most strains of the flu.

Two new technologies being deployed in New Jersey as part of the fight against the coronavirus could boost those testing numbers enormously if they can perform. One comes out of a Rutgers University research center that uses a laboratory technique to make millions of copies of the COVID-19 nucleic acid. It can perform 10,000 tests a day using high-throughput, automated equipment. But instead of using nasal and throat swabs to obtain viral material, the analysis can be performed on saliva samples obtained by spitting into a tube — a far easier way to collect samples without relying on health care workers. Saliva testing would be a new development and would allow testing without the need of a medical provider to take the sample. RUCDR has also submitted an emergency use authorization request for a saliva collection method that will allow for broader population screening. Another is a test developed by Abbott Laboratories that its makers say can detect the COVID-19 virus in as little as five minutes.

In this challenging time when Americans are under "shelter-in-place" IBM is offering free tools through weather.com, and an online dashboard, designed to help provide the latest details currently available from various official sources to people and businesses so they can access it easily on their computers or smartphones. Visit weather.com/coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains an iOS app and is one of the foremost sources of accurate information during disease outbreaks for anyone living in the U.S. You can also sign up for email updates from the CDC at this link. Your health insurance apps, such as United Healthcare or Aetna, help you to manage benefits and coverage. Another key resource is the media, but only trusted and professional outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post or The Wall Street Journal. Local and state updates can be found on the Camden County website and at the NJDOH information hub. Stay informed - stay safe!

On April 5th, just one month after recording its first infection, New Jersey now has at least 34,124 known cases of the coronavirus, including 846 deaths, as state officials announced 4,331 new cases and 200 new fatalities from a global outbreak that’s expected to keep worsening in the coming days. The state is testing only symptomatic people and reporting an average of only 5,000 tests a day, which officials attribute to a lack of manpower and supplies from the federal government. Governor Murphy has ordered residents to stay at home, called on people to keep practicing social distancing and washing their hands. “This pandemic is writing one of the greatest tragedies in the state’s history," Murphy said. Camden County currently has 481 cases, with 8 deaths.