More than five weeks after the first coronavirus vaccine was administered in New Jersey, more than 4 million additional residents – including anyone 65 and older – are eligible to receive the first of two shots to protect against COVID-19 on Thursday.
Governor Phil Murphy announced the first major expansion of the vaccination program after federal health officials changed the guidelines for fitness and advised states not to withhold the second doses.
In addition to those aged 65 and over, anyone between the ages of 16 and 64 with chronic medical conditions can also make an appointment from Thursday to receive the vaccine. The extended group includes 2 million smokers, although some are included in the 65-and-older group, and up to 1 million people with other health conditions. The group 65 and older contains an estimated 1.47 million people in New Jersey.
Murphy said that the growing confidence in the reliability of the supply chain for continued delivery of doses allows for the great expansion of suitability. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses of three weeks apart and the Moderna vaccine requires two doses of four weeks apart.
“This is somewhat if not largely based on the anticipation – not guarantee, but anticipation – of increased deliveries of vaccines, as the federal government will no longer hold doses, we are confident of taking these steps,” Murphy said . ‘We have set up the necessary infrastructure to do this work, and we are now ready to exponentially fuel our vaccination efforts.
Eligible persons residing, working or studying in New Jersey may 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 others are being opened,” Murphy said Wednesday. “And of the 259, it contains the six mega-sites.”
People are asked to register on the state’s website and then make an appointment at one of the sites.
The list of medical conditions for those between 16 and 64 years 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 disease and type 2 diabetes . Smokers are also eligible for this group.
People who are pregnant or in an immune system with a weakened immune system due to things like a solid organ transplant are also eligible, but must first talk to their doctors about vaccinations, health officials said.
New Jersey uses an honors system for vaccinations without having to show proof of medical conditions or age, officials said. This can change if problems arise.
“The culture of vaccines will generally hopefully be a more positive experience than not, and we want it to be a positive experience because it will be the basis for future vaccinations,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said on Monday. . ‘People show integrity, show up, get vaccinated. So far we see no reason why further mandates are needed for identification. It may be in the future, but we just want a culture of positive vaccinations. ‘
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The health officials said the major expansion in consideration could lead to long delays in getting an appointment of up to eight weeks. More than 1.2 million people have already pre-registered on the state’s website, officials said.
According to the CDC’s tracker, 654,900 doses have been sent to New Jersey so far. According to the Department of Health, the state administered 277,118 doses, including 245,785 first shots and 31,239 seconds. A small number of shots were not marked as first or second dose, leaving a difference between the total.
The vaccination news comes because in recent weeks after the holidays the cases will continue to increase.
New Jersey on Wednesday reported a record 6,922 confirmed positive tests for the coronavirus and 95 additional deaths.
The seven-day average for newly confirmed cases rose to 5,679 on Wednesday, up 22% from a week ago and 18% from a month ago. This is the highest average of seven days in the outbreak so far, although the lack of testing in the spring probably undercut the extent of the infections in the first wave.
New Jersey’s hospitals reported 3,638 COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday night, up from 88 patients a day earlier. Hospitals discharged 495 patients in the 24-hour period.
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Matt Arco can be reached at [email protected].