Town Of West Caldwell May Be Half Vaccinated By April, Mayor Says

WEST CALDWELL, NJ — West Caldwell’s mayor says that there is a hopeful goal for the township: a COVID-19 vaccine for half of the town’s residents by April.

West Caldwell Mayor Joe Tempesta offered his weekly coronavirus update on Friday. He wrote:

“Essex County continues to do an outstanding job of vaccinating our residents. I know it’s still difficult to get an appointment, but persistence will pay off. We continue to see vaccine availability increasing, so hopefully by the end of April we can project over 50 percent of our residents will have been vaccinated.

“Please be advised the West Caldwell Health Department has informed us as of Friday, March 19, we currently have 24 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Caldwell’s general population since last week.

“Of the 24 new confirmed cases, four individuals are home quarantined and recovering and 20 have already recovered. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have had a total of 602 cases, of which, we have had 14 citizens pass away in our general population. Thankfully, we have had 584 cases closed whereby those citizens are recovered and are no longer quarantined.

“In our two skilled nursing facilities combined we have no current COVID-19 cases in Crane’s Mill and Hackensack Meridian Health WC Care Center.

“We encourage all of you to continue the practice of social distancing, wash your hands often, and wear masks whenever possible. House parties tend to be an incubator for the COVID-19 virus, and we remind all of you to be careful and try and limit house gatherings to under 10 people.

“I also ask that you continue to join me in thanking all our first responders and teachers. I also thank you for continuing to patronize our restaurants and retail stores. Essex County has told us that all school employees (pre-K to grade 12) can now be vaccinated at the county sites if they live in Essex County or work in a school in Essex County. The vaccinations will be Monday to Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the West Orange site (old Kmart); you MUST have an appointment just like any other site. The appointment scheduling for teachers will open up at 5 p.m. this evening and still stay open all next week; however, they are expected to book quickly on Essexcovid.org.

“All eligible individuals may register for the COVID vaccine through Essex County by visiting essexcovid.org or by calling 973-877-8456. Appointments have been available most mornings between the hours of 8 and 9 a.m.

“All residents may also preregister for the vaccination through the state of New Jersey by visiting covidvaccine.nj.gov – thank you.”

• See related article: North Caldwell PD Chief Reflects On Anniversary Of 1st COVID Case
• See related article: How To Get COVID Vaccines In Essex County: More People Eligible
• See related article: Essex County Holding Special COVID Vaccination Times For Teachers

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Caldwells Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.