NEW JERSEY – As the COVID-19 vaccine continues across New Jersey, the questions were many about how to get it, where to get it and who is eligible.
The biggest question people have, of course, is when they can be vaccinated.
Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said on Friday that more than 310,000 doses of vaccines had been administered in the state and New Jersey received about 106,000 doses a week – 53,000 of the Modern vaccine, 53,000 of the Pfizer vaccine.
With the expansion of the list of who qualifies for the vaccine last week, there are more than 4 million New Jersey residents who can receive it. Read more: NJ publishes new COVID vaccine priority list; Teachers ‘on the deck’
Government Phil Murphy said Friday that with the opening of mega-sites to deliver the vaccine, the state could carry out thousands of vaccinations in addition to provincial and pharmacy sites; it is the offer of the federal government that is missing.
On Friday, the fourth of six mega-sites opened, and there are more than 160 smaller sites – including clinics and pharmacies in the province – administering the doses.
“We have the distribution capacity,” Murphy said. “We just need the supply of the feeds to supply the demand, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that we’m ready, but not.”
“We can use 470,000 doses a week,” Persichilli said.
Here are some questions and answers on how to enroll, where vaccinations are given and when vaccinations are available:
Which mega websites are open?
Sites at the Meadowlands and Atlantic City Convention Center are expected to open this week.
How can you register for a vaccination?
The state is now registering for the appointment of vaccines on the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System. More than 1.5 million New Jersey residents have registered on the site, Persichilli said.
Residents can visit covid19.nj.gov/vaccine to pre-register.
Is each vaccination site linked to the state’s registration system?
No. Persichilli said there are a number of sites that are not linked.
Many of them “are hospital-based and the hospitals use their own registration system that they use every day for their patients,” she said. “(It’s) a little clumsy than we would like, but … registration systems that hospitals in particular are familiar with are up and running and running well.”
What happens if I register?
In the state’s vaccination system you can find the country where you want to make an appointment. If there are no vaccination sites linked to the state registration system, you will be referred to a link or information on the vaccination site closest to you, and you may link or register via the site’s link.
Will we be notified when an appointment is available?
Yes. Persichilli said emails are sent out in groups when appointments are available on the mega sites. Some sites are linked to the appointment system by the NJ vaccination system, but not all.
Persichilli said more than 66,000 emails went out to tell people they could schedule an appointment; As of Friday, more than 10,000 have planned their appointments.
“There are currently many more people seeking vaccination than there are appointments available across the country,” she said, urging people to be patient. “As the vaccine supply increases, additional slots will be available for people to make appointments.”
What if you do not want to go to a mega-website?
You can make an appointment directly with one of the many vaccination sites across the state. Click here to see a complete list of these designated vaccination sites. Murphy said the mega-sites would have greater hiring ability rather than the smaller sites.
Can I make an appointment without going online?
As of Saturday, there is no phone number to register or make appointments for senior citizens and others who do not have access to computers or the Internet.
Persichilli said a call center is underway and should be up and running within the next two weeks.
Will the state’s vaccine registration system ever automatically award appointments?
Murphy said there is no plan to automatically assign appointments to the system, so those who register should keep an eye on the email when they can schedule an appointment.
What about those who do not have access to a mega site or a local site in their area?
The state is working on plans for mobile pickups that will go into underserved communities, with COVID-19 information, vaccine education and vaccinations. It is expected to start as soon as we have enough vaccines to go into a wider distribution, Persichilli said.
“Right now, the demand is far greater than the supply, so we ask the public to be patient. The state is working hard to vaccinate as many people as possible with the available doses we have,” she said.
“I do want to differentiate between the mega-sites and the provincial sites. There are a number of provinces that have set up their own sites. And very appropriately, they will first give preference to the residents of the country,” Persichilli said. . “I want to make it clear, go to a mega-website, with the state-sponsored website anyone can go there, but the provinces will give preference to their provincial residents first. And if others show up, they will do the callback system to make sure that at the end of the day all doses are used. ‘
“There will be more vaccinations every week. We call on everyone to be patient,” she said.
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