Four Atlantic County Stores Will Reserve Vaccines For Seniors

ATLANTIC COUNTY, NJ — Atlantic County announced that Walmart stores in Egg Harbor Township, Hammonton and Mays Landing and the Sam’s Club in Pleasantville will reserve vaccine appointments for residents 65 and older.

Eligible residents may call the stores directly to make their appointments or call the state’s 65 and older hotline at 856-249-7007, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“This population is among the most vulnerable for COVID-19 yet a significant number remain unvaccinated, not because they choose to but because they have been unable to find appointments,” said Dennis Levinson, Atlantic County Executive.

Levinson said the county offered clinics at Atlantic Cape Community College for eligible residents earlier in the year. The county was asked to move its staff and resources to the Atlantic City Convention Center to support the vaccination mega-site, one of six in the state.

The state recently provided Atlantic County with 500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which county public health staff are administering to its home delivered meal customers. Read more: Atlantic County Provides COVID-19 Vaccines To Homebound Residents

“The one-dose J&J vaccine is ideal for the homebound who might otherwise go unvaccinated and be unable to accept family and visitors into their homes,” said Levinson. “The response has been very positive. Ideally, we would like to provide this service to other homebound residents who may not be current customers. If we are able to obtain more vaccine we will certainly consider doing so.”

In the meantime, Levinson encourages mobile residents 65 and older to make appointments through the hotline or these additional local vaccinator providers.

“New Jersey has the unfortunate distinction at this time of having the most new COVID-19 cases in the country. And according to the CDC, the risk of getting infected with COVID-19 and experiencing severe illness increases with age,” said Levinson. “These services should help those 65 and older who want the vaccine to get it.”

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