Bernardsville ShopRite To Administer COVID-19 Vaccines

BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — ShopRite Pharmacy of Bernardsville will administer COVID-19 vaccines to health-care workers, the grocery chain announced Monday.

The first phase of vaccines has begun at sites across New Jersey. ShopRite announced Monday that 39 of their pharmacies in the Garden State are set to administer COVID-19 vaccines to health-care workers.

ShopRite pharmacies will follow the federal government's distribution schedule and will take a phased approach to providing vaccines. The company coordinated with the state Department of Health to choose which store locations will administer the vaccines.

Those eligible must make an appointment.

COVID-19 vaccines aren't currently available for the general public. But ShopRite anticipates expanding access once the government enters the next phase of vaccine distribution.

Once New Jersey enters Category 1B of vaccine distribution, people 75 and older and frontline essential workers will become eligible. Category 1C includes people 65 and over and adults with underlying medical conditions. After these phases are complete, the general public will become eligible for the vaccine.

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But state officials noted Monday that only about a quarter of New Jersey's doses — about 100,000 of 400,000 — have been administered. But New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli says she expects the number of vaccinations to increase now that the holidays are over.

"We did get anecdotal information that people didn't want to get vaccinated during the holidays in case they didn't feel well," Persichilli said. Read more: 100K In NJ Now Vaccinated For COVID As State Looks To Expand

The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency-use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.