64K Of Somerset County Residents Fully Vaccinated Against COVID

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Somerset County is "trending in the right direction" in terms of being fully protected against the coronavirus, said Dr. Namitha Reddy on Thursday.

Reddy, the Director of the Somerset County Department of Health (SCDOH) and leader of the county's COVID-19 response, gave an update on where the county stands at the end of March.

As of April 1, the county has provided more than 170,000 COVID-19 doses to more than 110,000 residents.

Of those residents, more than 64,000 residents, or 25 percent of all adults, are fully vaccinated — meaning they have received both doses or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot making them fully protected.

"We are moving toward vaccinating all residents of Somerset County or those who actually want a vaccine. We are trending in the right direction," said Reddy.

Reddy also wanted to caution residents that even though vaccination numbers are rising so are coronavirus cases.

"While we have seen a decreased number of cases thus far we are seeing a worrying trend of slightly increasing cases in the past few weeks," said Reddy.

As of Wednesday, the state is reported Somerset County has a total of 21,667 positive coronavirus cases and 702 confirmed deaths since March 2020.

Reddy reminded residents to follow guidelines as far as avoiding large crowds, washing hands, wearing a mask and maintaining a 6-foot social distance to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"All of these measures are what kept our numbers low over the last few months and we'd like to make sure we don't see an increased number of cases as we move forward," said Reddy.

Somerset County has also set up a waiting list for residents 65 and older to help them get vaccinated.

Residents 65 or older or their caregivers who would like to add the senior citizen's contact information to the waiting list can do so by calling the Somerset County COVID Hotline at 908-231-7155, or by filling out the online form at co.somerset.nj.us/covidQs .

Somerset County also has a COVID-19 call center at 908-231-7155 that will be able to help residents with registering for a vaccine, finding out if you are eligible for a vaccine, or event finding a vaccination or testing site.

The Vaccine Angels, comprised of volunteers in Somerset County is also helping residents to get a vaccine appointment. Read More: Army Of 'Angels' On A Mission To Vaccinate Somerset County Folks

For questions or to become a volunteer email vaccineangels21@gmail.com. Or to register to get help with an appointment from the Vaccine Angels, visit tinyurl.com/VaccineAngels21 for the public and tinyurl.com/VaccineAngelsTeachers for teachers.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.