COVID Vaccine 'Mega Site' Opens In Edison: See Photos

EDISON, NJ — New Jersey's third COVID-19 vaccination “mega site” was inaugurated in Edison on Friday. Gov. Phil Murphy toured the site at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center.

He posed for photos with Richard Satyavan, a 76-year-old resident from New Brunswick, who was one of the first people to received a dose of the vaccine at the center.

Murphy was joined by Department of Health Commissioner Jusy Persichilli, Rep. Frank Pallone, Middlesex County Board of Commissioners Director Ronald G. Rios, Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey among others.

According to officials, the facility hopes to administer around 2,000 vaccines every day.

"We are pleased that Middlesex County has been selected as a vaccine mega-site destination," said Rios.

“Our County is fully equipped to provide the necessary resources and advanced infrastructure to deploy the COVID-19 vaccine safely and efficiently both at the mega-site and at our own vaccination sites. This vaccine is a powerful blow to the pandemic, but we need to continue to remain vigilant,” he said.

Teams from RWJBarnabas Health, Middlesex County and the National Guard are coordinating efforts at the site to operate, staff and ensure maximum safety and efficiency of the vaccination effort. Over a 100 staff members are currently on-site to provide services including security, registration, vaccination and medical observation.

Murphy had come in for some criticism earlier this week as the state’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list prioritized smokers over teachers.

But he pushed back on the criticism on Friday. "This is cheap shot for the sake of a headline," Murphy said. "Our first priority must be to vaccinate those at higher risk. We cannot lose sight that this is a respiratory virus and smoking puts someone at a higher risk of a more severe case."

Murphy said as of Thursday, 300,000 vaccines have been administered statewide.

The Edison vaccination mega-site is equipped with 20 vaccination stations and will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

New Jersey began inoculations for seniors over the age of 65 and others with medical conditions and those between the ages of 16 and 64 with medical conditions as defined by the CDC.

The state's goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population – or 4.7 million adults – within six months.

To schedule an appointment at the Edison "mega site" click here.

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