Essex County Is Giving Seniors Bus Rides To Get COVID Vaccines

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County is trying out a new program in an attempt to help seniors without transportation to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

On Thursday, the county announced that it launched a pilot program in Newark, East Orange, Orange, Irvington, Bloomfield and Belleville. Under the program, up to 500 senior citizens a week are bused to vaccination centers to get inoculated.

Read More: COVID Vaccines In Essex County (Here's What You Need To Know)

How can seniors in the above cities and towns get on the list? According to a county spokesperson, they should reach out to their local health departments:

“The pilot senior busing program is run in conjunction with municipal health officers. Any senior who wants to participate should contact the health office in the municipality where they reside. The health office then informs us how many seniors they are bringing and we work out the logistics.”

POP UP VACCINATION SITES

Meanwhile, Essex County has also launched a mobile vaccination program, opening temporary “pop-up” vaccination sites in churches, community centers and senior citizen buildings.

The first four pop-up sites took place at St. Matthew AME Church in Orange, the Essex County Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in Newark, New Hope Baptist Church in Newark and two senior citizen buildings in East Orange.

“We have dates for the mobile sites through next week,” a county spokesperson told Patch on Friday. “Those also are coordinated through the municipal health officers. The county then shows up to perform the vaccinations.”

The sites are “closed,” meaning that appointments do not appear on the county’s vaccine appointment website. The general public is unable to schedule an appointment at the pop-up sites.

• See related article: Essex County To Go 'Mobile' With Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccines

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