Camden County Expects Major Increase In COVID-19 Vaccines

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — While Camden County’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution has slowed down in recent weeks, it appears headed for an upswing soon.

The county is expecting about 10,000 vaccines of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 3,000 more doses of the Moderna vaccine in the coming weeks, health officials said on Thursday.

As of Thursday, 263,270 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Camden County. There are 168,954 people with at least one vaccine dose, and 101,398 people who are fully vaccinated. The county has helped more than 1,700 teachers get vaccinated.

Vaccinations had dipped to 2,000 doses a week, health officials said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Officials said they expect to reach 70 percent vaccination for the county's adult population by the end of the fall.

The Camden County Vaccination Clinic at Camden County Colllege, 200 College Drive in the Blackwood section of the township, is currently open to those with appointments only, Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments are available for eligible residents at camdencountyvaccine.com.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced the launch of a beta version of an Appointment Finder.

"This new tool aggregates information across multiple scheduling platforms, multiple times an hour letting you know when appointments are open and letting you know how you can make one for yourself,"Murphy said at his COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday. "Appointments are still limited, especially so mid to late week."

Read more here: New Jersey Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Finder

Vaccine eligibility is determined by the state. Here’s who will be eligible as of April 5:

• Individuals 55 and over
• Individuals ages 16 and up with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Educators, including support staff, in higher education settings
• Communications infrastructure support, including engineers, and technicians and members of the press
• Real estate, building, and home service workers, including construction workers, code officials, plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, property management and maintenance workers
• Retail financial institution workers, including bank tellers, lending services, public accounting and check-cashing workers
• Sanitation workers providing disinfection and janitorial services, city sanitation workers; residential, commercial, and industrial solid and hazardous waste removal workers
• Laundry service workers, including those working in laundromats, laundry services and dry cleaners
• Utility workers including electrical generation and supply system, natural gas delivery, nuclear power plant, water supply, telephone and cable/fiber/optical/broadband/cellular service workers
• Librarians and support staff at municipal, county and state libraries

May 1 is the state's target date to open eligibility for all those 16 and older who live, study or work in New Jersey.

Who's Eligible Now?

• Paid and unpaid healthcare workers
• Residents and workers of long-term care and high-risk congregate care facilities
• First responders including sworn law enforcement and fire professionals
• Individuals aged over 65
• Individuals aged 16-64 that have certain medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus
• Pre-K to 12 educators and staff
• Childcare workers in licensed and registered settings

• Transportation workers
• Additional public safety workers
• Additional high-risk individuals

Starting March 29, additional frontline essential workers will be eligible to book vaccine appointments.

• Food production, agriculture and food distribution (including grocery store and restaurant workers)
• Eldercare and support
• Warehousing and logistics
• Social services support staff
• Elections personnel
• Hospitality
• Medical supply chain
• Postal and shipping services
• Clergy
• Judicial system

Read more: More NJ COVID Vaccine Expansion: Clergy, Food Workers

The Garden State now has access to three COVID-19 vaccines following the FDA's approval of an emergency use authorization for the new single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. Read more: 3 COVID Vaccines Now Available In NJ: How Do They Differ?

Where To Get Vaccinated

Eligible patients can preregister through the state for an appointment. The process may not immediately give you an appointment date but will put you on a list to alert you when an appointment becomes available.

Pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens and ShopRite have started inoculating residents, alongside major hub retailers such as Walmart, Stop and Shop and Sam's Club.

Here's a map that will show vaccination sites near you.

Tips and Tricks
Patch has gathered tips that may help for securing vaccine appointments and websites with additional information:

• Join the New Jersey Covid Vaccine Info Facebook group. The 61,000-member group gives New Jerseyans the opportunity to share up-to-date information on vaccine availability.
• Follow VaxxUpdates on Twitter. The page helps Garden State residents secure vaccine appointments with instant updates on availability.
• CVS and Rite Aid began scheduling COVID-19 appointments at locations that will receive vaccines. But appointments fill up quickly. CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart have expanded their number of sites. Read more: CVS Adding 30 COVID-19 Vaccine Sites In New Jersey
• CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold periodically opens registration. They will email a link when you're eligible for an appointment.
• Check out the COVID-19 Vaccine Registration FAQ from RWJBarnabas Health.
• You can sign up at their website to be alerted when the vaccine becomes available in your area.ShopRite sometimes has a wait time to access its vaccine scheduler, but it allows the public to make appointments.

To keep up with the latest vaccination news, visit Patch's New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccination Information Hub.

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