9 questions about the COVID-19 vaccination in New Jersey



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NEW JERSEY – As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues in New Jersey, there have been many questions about how to get it, where to get it and who is eligible.

The biggest question people ask themselves, of course, is when they can get the vaccine.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said on Friday that more than 310,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the state and New Jersey is receiving approximately 106,000 doses per week – 53,000 of the Moderna vaccine, 53,000 of the Pfizer vaccine. .

With the list of people eligible for the vaccine expanding last week, more than 4 million New Jersey residents can receive it. Read more: NJ releases new priority list for COVID vaccines; Teachers on the bridge

Governor Phil Murphy said last Friday that with the opening of mega-sites to deliver the vaccine, in addition to county and pharmacy sites, the state has the capacity to perform thousands of vaccinations; it is federal government procurement that is lacking.

The fourth of six mega-sites opened on Friday, and there are more than 160 smaller sites – including county vaccination clinics and pharmacies – administering the doses.

“We have the distribution capacity,” Murphy said. “We just need the federal government supply to meet that demand, and it’s becoming more and more obvious that we’re ready, but they’re not.”

“We could use 470,000 doses per week,” Persichilli said.

Here are some questions and answers on how to register, where vaccinations are given and when vaccinations may be available:

What mega-sites are open?

The Meadowlands and Atlantic City Convention Center venues are scheduled to open this week.

How can you register for a vaccination?

The state is now registering for vaccine appointments on the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System. More than 1.5 million New Jersey residents have registered with the site, Persichilli said.

Residents can visit covid19.nj.gov/vaccine to pre-register.

Is each vaccination site linked to the state registration system?

No. Persichilli said that there are a number of unrelated sites.

Many of them “are based in hospitals and hospitals use their own recording system which they use on a daily basis for their patients,” she said. “(It’s) a little more clunky than we would like, but … the recording systems that hospitals are particularly familiar with are up and running and functioning well.”

What happens when I register?

On the state’s vaccine scheduling system, find the county where you want to schedule an appointment. If there are no vaccination sites listed that are linked to the state’s registration system, you will be directed to a link or information on the vaccination site closest to you, and you can call or register via the link on this site.

Will we be notified when an appointment is available?

Yes. Persichilli said emails are sent in batches when appointments are available on mega-sites. Some county sites are linked to the appointment system through the NJ Vaccine Planning System, but not all.

Persichilli said more than 66,000 emails had been sent telling people they could make an appointment; Friday, more than 10,000 had scheduled their appointments.

“There are currently a lot more people requesting the vaccination than there are appointments available statewide,” she said, urging people to be patient. “As the supply of vaccines increases, more time slots will become available for people to make appointments.

What if you don’t want to go to a mega site?

You can make an appointment directly with one of the many designated vaccination sites across the state. Click here to see a complete list of these designated vaccination sites. Murphy said mega-sites are more likely to have a larger capacity to meet earlier than smaller sites.

Can I make an appointment without going online?

As of Saturday, there is no telephone number to register or make appointments to welcome seniors and others who do not have access to a computer or the Internet.

Persichilli said a call center is in the works and should be up and running within the next two weeks.

Will the state’s vaccine registration system ever automatically assign appointments?

Murphy said there were no plans for the system to automatically assign appointments, so those who sign up should keep an eye on the email letting them know when they can schedule an appointment.

What about those who don’t have access to a mega-site or local site in their area by car?

The state is working on plans for mobile vans that will go to underserved communities, with information about COVID-19, vaccine education and immunizations. This is expected to start “as soon as we have enough vaccine to move on to wider dissemination,” Persichilli said.

“Right now the demand is much greater than the supply, so please we ask the public to be patient. The state is working hard to vaccinate as many eligible people as possible with the doses available.” , she said.

“I want to make a distinction between mega sites and county sites. There are a number of counties that have set up their own sites. And very appropriately, they will prioritize people in the county first.” , said Persichilli. “I want to make it clear, go to a mega site, with the state-backed site, anyone can go, but the counties will prioritize their county residents first. And if others do show up, they will do the reminder system to make sure that at the end of the day all the doses are used up. “

“There will be more vaccines every week to come. We urge everyone to be patient,” she said.

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