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More than five weeks after the first coronavirus vaccine was given in New Jersey, more than 4 million additional residents – including anyone 65 and older – become eligible Thursday to receive the first of two vaccines to protect themselves against COVID-19.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the first major expansion of the immunization program after federal health officials changed eligibility guidelines and advised states not to withhold second doses.
In addition to people 65 and older, anyone between 16 and 64 with chronic health conditions can also make an appointment to receive the vaccine starting Thursday. The larger group includes 2 million smokers, although some are included in the 65 and over group, and up to 1 million people with other health conditions. The 65 and over group includes approximately 1.47 million people in New Jersey.
Murphy said the growing confidence in the reliability of the supply chain for continuous dose delivery makes this massive expansion in eligibility possible. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses three weeks apart and the Moderna vaccine requires two doses four weeks apart.
“It is somehow, if not largely, based on the anticipation – not the guarantee, but the anticipation – of increased vaccine deliveries as the federal government will no longer withhold doses, we are confident. to take those steps, ”Murphy said. “We have put in place the infrastructure we need to do this job and are now ready to start scaling up our immunization efforts exponentially.
Eligible people who live, work, or study in New Jersey can receive the vaccine by appointment at one of the approved locations.
“We have 259 distribution points, 165 of which are already open as we sit here today, and the rest are in the process of being open,” Murphy said Wednesday. “And of those 259, that includes the six mega sites.”
People are encouraged to register on the state’s website and then make an appointment at one of the sites.
The list of medical conditions for 16 to 64 year olds includes cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Down syndrome, heart disease including heart failure, coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy, obesity, severe obesity, sickle cell anemia, and type 2 diabetes. Smokers are also eligible in this group.
Pregnant people or those in an immunocompromised state with an immune system weakened by things like a solid organ transplant are also eligible, but should talk to their doctors about vaccinations first, health officials said.
New Jersey uses an honor system for vaccinations with no requirement to show proof of medical conditions or age, officials said. This could change if any issues arise.
“Growing vaccines in general will hopefully be a more positive experience than not, and we want it to be a positive experience as it will set the stage for future vaccinations,” Health Commissioner Judith said Monday. Persichilli. “People show integrity, come forward, get vaccinated. So far, we see no reason why new identification warrants are needed. It may be in the future, but we just want a culture of positive vaccinations.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracking | Bulletin | Home page
The major expansion of eligibility could cause long delays in getting an appointment of up to eight weeks, health officials said. More than 1.2 million people have already pre-registered with the state’s website, officials said.
According to the CDC tracker, New Jersey has so far received 654,900 doses. The state administered 277,118 doses including 245,785 first injections and 31,239 second injections, according to the health ministry dashboard. A small number of shots were not labeled first or second dose, leaving a discrepancy between the totals.
The vaccine news comes as cases continue to rise in recent weeks after the holidays.
New Jersey on Wednesday reported a record 6,922 new confirmed positive tests for the coronavirus and 95 additional deaths.
The seven-day average for new confirmed cases rose to 5,679 on Wednesday, up 22% from a week ago and 18% from a month ago. This is the highest seven-day average for the outbreak to date, although the lack of testing in the spring likely underestimated the extent of infections in the first wave.
New Jersey hospitals reported 3,638 patients with COVID-19 as of Wednesday evening, down 88 from the previous day. Hospitals released 495 patients during that 24-hour period.
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Matt Arco can be reached at [email protected].
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