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New Jersey says it plans to immunize 70% of its adult population – about 4.7 million people – over the next six months. Officials said the doses should be available to the general public by April or May.
That includes workers who live out of state, students who come to New Jersey and undocumented workers, state officials said.
“The department has always said we would provide equitable access to all who live, work and are educated in New Jersey,” said Donna Leusner, spokesperson for the Department of Health.
State Police Commissioner Pat Callahan said on Wednesday that law enforcement officers who live out of state but work in New Jersey, or who live here but work outside of state, can get vaccinated in the Garden State.
“We have a lot of federal law enforcement partners. Maybe an agent lives in Manhattan but works in the Newark office. This port authority officer who may live in Jersey but work at JFK airport … I just wanted to make sure we were clear on this, ”Callahan said. “The goal is to vaccinate this entire population beyond all the others. “
The order of vaccine distribution begins with health workers and residents and nursing home staff, all of which are in category 1a.
From Thursday, firefighters and police, who are part of phase 1b, will be able to get vaccinated.
Other members of Group 1b include other first responders, food service workers, educators, support staff and daycare workers, transit workers, and workers who support information and counseling services. radio, print, Internet and television media, according to the state’s 188-page update. vaccination plan published in December. Other “critical” and “essential” workers are also included in 1b, the plan says.
People aged 75 and over will also be in phase 1b, the health ministry said.
Phase 1c will follow. This would include people aged 16 to 64 with high-risk illnesses and other adults aged 65 to 75, according to the plan. This would also include “people living or working in collective or overcrowded premises” such as colleges and universities, migrant workers and tribal people, who were listed by an earlier version of the plan as category 1b, according to the plan. . Again, no timetable has been announced by the state.
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Advocacy groups say they are working with communities to make sure undocumented people get the vaccine.
“Undocumented immigrants and their family members – regardless of their status – have been left behind from virtually all forms of COVID relief, resulting in extreme suffering, widespread economic insecurity and heightened vulnerability to the virus,” said said Sara Cullinane, director of Make The Road New Jersey. “They need to have access to the vaccine. This means ensuring free dosages for uninsured people, privacy protections, and accessible vaccination sites with culturally competent providers. “
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Karin Price Mueller can be contacted at [email protected].
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