New Jersey has experienced over 400,00 COVID-19 cases and over 16,000 deaths associated with COVID-19. Vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer – BioNTech were approved in mid-December and that same week New Jersey started distributing vaccines.
New Jersey has established a timeline for when different groups of people will be able to be vaccinated. Careful consideration was given to age, occupation, exposure, and health concerns. Phase 1A of New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccinations began on December 15, 2020, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine and after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted recommendations of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). There are approximately 650,000 people eligible for Phase 1A, so it may be weeks before New Jersey moves to Phase 1b.
Phase 1A, paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials as well as residents and staff of long-term congregate settings. For more information about Phase 1A, refer to this article.
Phase 1B, sworn law enforcement, fire professionals, and other first responders (including search and rescue and similar personnel not included in Phase 1A under the health care professional definition). These professions, as first responders, are the first priority group within Phase 1B, as well as persons 75 years and older.
Phase 1C will include other essential workers, adults 65 and over, and persons aged 16-64 with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 as defined by the CDC.
Phase 2 the general public will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
New Jersey residents interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, can sign up at the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System. By filling in the information in the portal, residents will be put on a list to be alerted when they are eligible for a vaccine based on their age, occupation and health concerns. This website will also provide you with a list of places where you can get vaccinated (the list changes frequently as more sites are added).
To learn the latest from the New Jersey Department of Health, please visit: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_vaccination.shtml
You can also subscribe to Vax Matters, the weekly newsletter issued by the New Jersey Department of Health which focuses on key updates regarding COVID-19 vaccination in New Jersey.
You can read the latest from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html
We encourage you to follow @NJDeptofHealth @NJGov @GovMurphy on social media, to visit covid19.nj.gov and to consider joining a COVID-19 Vaccination Essentials webinar co-hosted by the New Jersey Department of Health, Rutgers Project ECHO, and the Nicholson Foundation.
You can download the Covid Alert NJ app which will keep you up-to-date on the latest information and numbers in your area and throughout the state, help you monitor symptoms and find a testing center if needed.
We at Middlesex Public Library take our staff and residents health seriously. We aim to provide our residents with information that they may find useful during this time. We extend our most sincere condolences to any families who were affected by this virus.