Mercer offering free COVID-19 testing
Nov. 24, Dec. 1 at CURE Arena
TRENTON -- Mercer County, in partnership with Vault Health Services, will offer free COVID-19 testing on Tuesday, Nov. 24, and Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CURE Insurance Arena, 81 Hamilton Ave. The saliva test is available to County residents 14 years or older and anyone employed as a first responder or health care worker in Mercer County.
This test is sent to a lab for processing. County health officials say people getting tested this week should not expect to receive their test result prior to Thanksgiving.
Those going to the arena for testing should use Parking Lot 2 off South Broad Street to access Gate A. Testing will be conducted in the arena concourse. Bring identification showing Mercer County residency and a smartphone or tablet if you have one. No prescription is necessary. Please avoid eating, drinking, chewing gum or smoking 30 minutes prior to taking the test.
Testing will be limited to 300 people on each of the two days but additional pop-up testing sites will be scheduled around the County in the near future.
If you want to avoid the lines, Mercer County also offers an at-home saliva test for COVID-19, which can be requested by visiting www.mercercares.org. If you need help with the online registration process, assistance will be available Tuesday at the arena.
An updated list of COVID-19 testing locations in Mercer County can be found on the Trenton Health Team’s website: https://trentonhealthteam.org/covidtests/.
Protect family members from food poisoning, flu and COVID-19
The following message was provided by the NJ Poison Control Center.
The holiday season is a treasured time of year with Thanksgiving as the official kickoff. Traditional holiday activities and indoor celebrations bring friends, families and neighbors together to enjoy each other’s company and share in home-cooked meals around the kitchen and dinner tables. This year’s holiday season will be a struggle for many as COVID-19 has officially crashed traditional activities.
Over the last few weeks, New Jersey has recorded increasingly high numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalization across the state. The continued spike in COVID-19 numbers clearly signals the second wave of COVID-19 has arrived in New Jersey and is here to stay for the foreseeable future. As the holidays near, government and public health officials urge families to choose safer ways to celebrate. Traditional activities carry a high risk for spreading both COVID-19 and seasonal flu germs.
You must consider your individual and family’s risk of getting or spreading COVID-19 during in-person gatherings. Traveling to see family or having out of state visitors is dangerous to your health and your family’s health. Holiday gatherings should only include immediate members of your household (people you live with) as long as these members are consistently taking precautions to lower their risk of getting or spreading COVID-19. With community spread being so high, there is a very good chance that someone at your gathering will unknowingly pass coronavirus to the entire group.
As family chefs prepare their Thanksgiving feast, they must remember to safely handle foods to prevent contamination while preparing, cooking, serving and storing food. There are many germs (bacteria, viruses, parasites) lurking in kitchens that can spoil a holiday meal and cause severe illness in those who eat it the contaminated food. In New Jersey, indoor Thanksgiving gatherings are limited to 10 people this year. Consider decreasing the amount of food made to prevent having leftovers spoil.
Getting sick from eating contaminated food is quite common. Although anyone is susceptible to food poisoning, it is important to remember that the effects may be more serious for certain groups; young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems. The effects of food poisoning are not always immediate and can range from mild to severe.
• Food poisoning is preventable. Follow these four simple steps: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill
• Food poisoning can happen just a few hours after consuming contaminated food.
• Some symptoms are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea and fever.
• Foodborne germs (bacteria, parasites, viruses) can grow very quickly in foods left at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Do not prepare food if you are feeling sick or have any type of respiratory illness or infection.
Food poisoning can be serious. If at any time during the preparing/cooking process you are uncertain of something or think a food poisoning situation may have occurred, don’t hesitate to get help from your local poison control center. Call 1-800-222-1222 for free, medical treatment advice and information, 24/7. If someone is unconscious, not breathing, hard to wake up or having a seizure, call 9-1-1.
New Jersey residents: Call (1-800-222-1222); Text (973-339-0702); Chat via website. Contact the NJ Poison Control Center for questions, emergencies and information regarding lead or other poison-related exposure.
CURRENT STATUS
The New Jersey Department of Health on Nov. 23 announced 3,592 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the cumulative total of positive cases in the state to 309,588; and 11 additional confirmed COVID-19 deaths, bringing the cumulative total to 14,960 confirmed deaths and 1,812 probable deaths. Mercer County's 170 new positive cases bring its cumulative total to 12,620, with 615 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 36 probable deaths. To view Mercer County data by municipality, please visit the Mercer County COVID-19 Dashboard at https://arcg.is/1y1eHO. Please note that municipal data lags behind the state data and will update as information becomes available. Visit the New Jersey Department of Health's COVID-19 Dashboard for more statewide information.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 23 announced 147,840 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the cumulative total of positive cases in the United States to 12,175,921; and 882 additional deaths, bringing the cumulative total to 255,958 with 55 locations (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, North Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands) reporting.
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HAVE GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID-19?
The NJ Poison Control Center and 211 have partnered with the State to provide information to the public on COVID-19:
Call: (general COVID-19 questions) 2-1-1 (24/7)
Call: (medical COVID-19 questions) 1-800-962-1253 (24/7)
Text: NJCOVID to 898-211 to receive alerts
Visit https://covid19.nj.gov/ or nj.gov/health for additional information
PREVENTION AND SYMPTOMS
How COVID-19 spreads:
COVID-19 spreads easily from person to person, mainly by the following routes:
• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes, sings or talks.
People who are infected but do not show symptoms can also spread the virus to others.
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To ensure the lowest chance of obtaining the virus, and spreading the virus to others:
• Wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household. Masks help stop the spread of COVID-19 to others.
• Practice social distancing -- stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people who are not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or use the inside of your elbow.
• Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
Symptoms can appear between 2-14 days after exposure, though some people may not have any symptoms while still being contagious. Symptoms can include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
If you believe you've been infected and you are not in immediate danger, you should contact your doctor by phone. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911, and notify the dispatch personnel that you may have COVID-19. COVID-19 Symptom Checker
COPING WITH STRESS
If you’re feeling stressed, anxious or depressed due to COVID-19, please call New Jersey's MentalHealthCares Helpline at 866-202-HELP (4357) or visit njmentalhealthcares.org for emotional support, guidance, and mental health referrals as needed. You also may call the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 (TTY 1-800-846-8517). Listing of additional resources.
JOBS AND HIRING
Did you lose your job or have your hours reduced as a result of COVID-19? The State of New Jersey has created a resource page to help you connect to benefits and resources you need while you are trying to safely get back to work, as well as some tips for coping with the stress of losing a job: covid19.nj.gov/work. In addition, Mercer County’s One-Stop Career Center has posted a list of employment opportunities.
BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
For information on COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus and its impact on businesses – including resources, assistance and regulations -- visit the State of New Jersey business portal and the Mercer County Office of Economic Development’s COVID-19 Business Resources page.
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