New Jersey’s largest coronavirus vaccination site opens in Newark

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NEWARK, NJ – A “game changer” in New Jersey’s fight against coronavirus has officially opened in Newark.

On Wednesday, Governor Phil Murphy and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka were among those in attendance for the launch of the state’s “largest mass COVID-19 vaccination site,” located on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at 56 Lock Street.

The site has the capacity to give up to 6000 doses per day, seven days per week. It will be open Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

NJIT administrators said it is still unclear how long the center will be operational, but they expect it will operate for “at least two to three months.”

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be administered for the first six weeks, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered for the remaining two weeks, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The vaccines will be provided directly by the federal government, beyond regular state allocations, officials said.

For more information on eligibility or to register for a vaccination, visit https://covid19.nj.gov/vaccine or call 855-568-0545.

See the related article: Essex County Coronavirus Vaccines (How To Get The Vaccine)

Newark was among the first cities chosen for a FEMA pilot program. In addition to creating a federally backed site in Brick City – the most populous in New Jersey – FEMA has also announced locations for new sites in Boston, Massachusetts and Norfolk, Virginia.

The goal is to get more gunfire in some of the country’s most vulnerable areas, officials said. The locations were chosen based on factors such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Social Vulnerability Index”, US Census data, and contributions from states and local partners.

The center will be supported by the federal government, in partnership with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, the New Jersey Department of Health, Essex County and the City of Newark.

NJIT officials said the location of the center – the Naimoli family’s sports and recreation facility – was chosen to minimize its potential impact by keeping foot traffic close to the campus perimeter.

“Essex County needed this center more than almost any county in the country because this region was one of the hardest hit by COVID-19,” said U.S. Representative Donald Payne Jr.

“During this global pandemic, Essex County had one of the highest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the country,” continued Payne, who represents the state’s 10th district. “There could still be a large population of people with the disease but not showing any symptoms.”

According to Payne, FEMA chose Essex County because it has a “considerable vulnerable community” and could serve similar communities in Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. For this site, the federal government will provide 6,000 doses per day, as well as personnel to operate the site for eight weeks.

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