COVID-19 Vaccine Available At Camden County Concerts In June

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — With the closing of New Jersey’s six COVID-19 vaccination mega-sites, the movement to vaccinate residents is taking on a local flavor. In Camden County, that means getting vaccinated while rocking out to live music.

The Camden County Health Department, in partnership with the Rutgers School of Nursing and Cooper University Health Care, is operating pop-up vaccination clinics at all concerts this June, county officials announced.

That effort began at Wednesday night’s Bailen concert at the McLaughlin-Norcross Memorial Dell in Haddon Heights.

“We are continuing to take our vaccination efforts on the road, directly to our residents and where they gather,” Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer said. “The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and getting your shot takes just 15 minutes. The Commissioner Board and our partners will continue to seek these kinds of innovative and aggressive initiatives to get our population protected.”

Wednesday night's concert was the first at the Dell in more than 600 days, Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young said during a news conference Thursday afternoon. Read more here: Live Concerts Return To Camden County This Summer

"It's a really good, strong sign that we're on our way back," Young said. "We heard from residents who said how good it felt to return to their pre-pandemic rituals."

The next opportunity to get vaccinated will come on June 7 at the Jazzmeia Horn concert at Wiggins Waterfront Park, 2 Riverside Drive in Camden. All concerts begin at 7 p.m., and vaccination clinics will begin one hour before the show starts. The concert schedule for June is below:

June 16, 2021 - Haddon Heights Norcross-McLaughlin Memorial Dell
(Smash Palace w/ special guest Camille Peruto)
1214 S Park Avenue, Haddon Heights, NJ 08035

June 21, 2021 – Wiggins Waterfront Park
(Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)
2 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103

June 24, 2021 – Cooper River Park
(LIVE AT THE FILMORE – The Definitive Tribute to the Original Allman Bros. Band)
Cooper River Park, Pennsauken, NJ

June 28, 2021 – Wiggins Waterfront Park
(Vertical Current w/ Isaiah Ktumwa)
2 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that all six of New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccination mega-sites will close by the middle of July. This includes the sites at the Moorestown Mall and Rowan College of South Jersey in Gloucester County. Read more here: NJ COVID Mega-Sites Will End

It does not include the Camden County COVID-19 vaccination center in the Papiano Gym at Camden County College, 200 College Drive in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township.

The center administers the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines on Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It administers the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines on Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 4p.m.

Camden County is also going to each school throughout the county to deliver the vaccine to students, and more than 1,000 students have been vaccinated countywide, according to Rachel Honrychs of the Camden County Health Department.

Overall, 271,470 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 229,450 residents are fully vaccinated.

Teen vaccinations are also available at the Cooper Vaccine and Education Center at The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center, 1865 Harrison Avenue in Camden. To make an appointment, call 856-225-6141. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Vaccination Appointment Hours are:

• Mondays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.;
• Tuesdays, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and
• Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"We're choosing sites strategically to make sure we get the vaccinations to those who need it," Honrychs said.

The county’s ramped-up vaccination efforts are contributing to the rapid decline in new coronavirus cases across the county. On Wednesday, Camden County reported just nine new cases of the coronavirus in the entire county, just the third time the county has reported fewer than 10 new cases in one day since the pandemic began last March.

On Thursday, another 16 new cases were reported. Camden County has had 49,338 cases of the coronavirus and 1,204 deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

The county has averaged just 19.5 cases a day for the last seven days, and 137 total cases over that period.

New Jersey reported just 177 new cases statewide over the weekend, the lowest daily number since July 19 and July 20, 2020 when the Garden State reported 144 and 177 cases, respectively. Read more here: NJ COVID Numbers Hit Lowest Levels In A Year As Vaccines Pushed

Gov. Phil Murphy said the fact that more than 4.2 million people have been fully vaccinated – nearing the state's goal of getting 4.7 million immunized by June 30th – has helped bring the COVID cases down dramatically.

“We are turning a corner, but this virus is still in our community,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “The only way to truly defeat this virus and end this pandemic is for everyone to get vaccinated. Vaccines are readily available and free. If you haven’t gotten your shot yet, head to a provider near you as soon as possible.”