Gov. Murphy: NJ To Open New COVID Vaccine Sites, Address Problems

TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey will be launching 10 community-based sites to vaccinate people in towns that have been deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy announced during his news conference Friday. State officials also addressed problems people are having with signing up for a shot.

The 10 sites will be set up in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will be open only to the residents of the communities where they are opened, Murphy said.

“They will be strategically placed in communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and some of our most diverse and socioeconomically challenged communities,” Murphy said.

The program will be operated by five teams and will start next week, he said. The initial sites will be set up in Franklin Township in Somerset County, in Trenton and Elizabeth, with Vineland and Paterson up shortly after, he said. The exact locations and timing will be announced later.

“To stay on track toward our goal of equity in these high-need cities, these sites will be closed points of distribution for members of the immediate community only,” he said. Appointments will be required, and the appointment registrations will be handled by partnering community organizations.

“I’m grateful for the federal partnership especially as we begin this new phase in our vaccination efforts,” he said. “We are always striving for equitable access to appointments and vaccinations. It is among our very highest priorities.”

While the state prepares to launch the community-based sites, senior citizens and many others from across the state are continuing to struggle to get appointments to get vaccinated.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli also acknowledged that people received cancellation notices when they shouldn't have and "most of them were rectified in the same day." If anybody gets a cancellation notice, she suggested people should call the site to make sure.

She also said there have been glitches with the scheduling system and the state has been working with Microsoft to address those issues.

Murphy also addressed concerns that various Rite Aid stores have been listed as vaccination sites, but the company didn't initially appear to provide a clear way to sign up for shots. Read more: 70 Rite Aid, 27 CVS Pharmacies In NJ Beginning COVID-19 Vaccines

The state's vaccine hub website now has listed a number of stores in towns in New Jersey and asked people to sign up here: https://www.riteaid.com/pharma...

Murphy addressed concerns about Rite Aid's vaccine program during his Friday news conference after the state initially listed the company's vaccine sites as "coming soon."

"I can't speak to Rite Aid. I don't have first-hand knowledge of Rite Aid's website but I'm sure that it will be addressed, perhaps in short order," Murphy said.

The state also opened a call center that has more than 1,000 people staffing it to address vaccine issues, according to Persichilli, but Murphy praised local outreach efforts that are bridging the gap and help get shots to people who need it, such as seniors.

“We applaud the effort of the many other vaccination sites that are conducting direct outreach in their communities to make appointments for seniors and others who many not have internet access,” he said.

Persichilli said plans are in the works to bring vaccination clinics to the communities to serve seniors who do not live in long-term care facilities. Part of the hold-up is the difficulties posed by the specialized temperature storage the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require.

"Moderna and Pfizer don't travel well," she said.

"J&J we hope will travel very well," she said, referring to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is awaiting emergency use approval from the FDA will help. That vaccine is delivered in one dose and does not require the specialized temperature storage.

So far, 1,244,224 vaccine doses have been administered, including 933,160 first doses and 310,529 second doses, Murphy said.

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