Haddonfield Rite Aids To Offer Coronavirus Vaccine

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Two Rite Aid stores in Haddonfield will begin administering the coronavirus vaccine, the state announced.

New Jersey has added Rite Aid stores to its list of public coronavirus vaccination sites for eligible recipients. The Rite Aid stores at 715 Haddon Avenue; and at 423 West Crystal Lake Avenue, Suite 7, in Haddonfield are on that list.

Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed Wednesday that 70 Rite Aid locations received vaccine shipments. State officials expected Rite Aid to only receive about 7,500 doses in the initial shipment. Read more: 70 Rite Aid, 27 CVS Pharmacies In NJ Beginning COVID-19 Vaccines

The state's vaccine hub website now has listed a number of stores in towns in New Jersey and asked people to sign up here: https://www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/covid-qualifier

There are now 24 sites in Camden County that offer the coronavirus vaccine. Read more here: These COVID Vaccine Sites Are Now Open In Camden County

New Jersey is two months into inoculations. Before the process began, state officials made a goal for 70 percent of New Jersey's adults to get vaccinated in six months.

On Tuesday, Camden County reported 311 additional cases of the coronavirus for Feb. 13-16, 2021. Altogether, the county has seen 38,076 cases of the coronavirus and 1,008 deaths since the pandemic began.

“COVID-19 cases are dropping nationwide, and fortunately that trend is evident here in Camden County as well,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “Over the last seven days we have averaged just 88 new cases per day. Over the last four days, we’ve had just 311 new cases. A few weeks ago, we were seeing this kind of figure in a single day. If we keep fighting, we can keep this pandemic at bay while vaccinations increase.”

Cappelli and Assistant Camden County Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher will update the public on the county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The address will be streamed live on Camden County’s Facebook page and at camdencounty.com/live.

“We will be continuing to provide updates and clarifications regarding the vaccination process in Camden County and when different segments of the population will be eligible,” Cappelli said. “We have reached a turning point in this pandemic, but with record numbers of cases and deaths, our fight is not over.”

In addition to the commissioner’s report regarding coronavirus cases, Cappelli will provide an update regarding the vaccine rollout process in Camden County.

Who is eligible for vaccination at this time?

Currently, vaccines are available to the following groups:
Healthcare Personnel (Phase 1A)
Paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials, including, but not limited to:

• Licensed healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists
• Staff like receptionists, janitors, mortuary services, laboratory technicians
• Consultants, per diem, and contractors who are not directly employed by the facility
• Unpaid workers like health professional students, trainees, volunteers, and essential caregivers
• Community health workers, doulas, and public health professionals like Medical Reserve Corps
• Personnel with variable venues like EMS, paramedics, funeral staff, and autopsy workers
• All workers in acute, pediatric, and behavioral health hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers
• All workers in health facilities like psychiatric facilities, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and rehabs
• All workers in clinic-based settings like urgent care clinics, dialysis centers, and family planning sites
• All workers in long-term care settings like nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, and others
• All workers in occupational-based healthcare settings like health clinics within workplaces, shelters, jails, colleges and universities, and K-12 schools
• All workers in community-based healthcare settings like PACE and Adult Living Community Nursing
• All workers in home-based settings like hospice, home care, and visiting nurse services
• All workers in office-based healthcare settings like physician and dental offices
• All workers in public health settings like local health departments, LINCS agencies, harm reduction centers, and medicinal marijuana programs
• All workers in retail, independent, and institutional pharmacies
• Other paid or unpaid people who work in a healthcare setting, who may have direct or indirect contact with infectious persons or materials, and who cannot work from home.

Long-Term Care Residents and Staff (Phase 1A)
All residents and staff of long-term and congregate care facilities, including:

• Skilled nursing facilities
• Veterans homes
• Group homes like residential care homes, adult family homes, adult foster homes, and intellectual and developmental disabilities group homes
• HUD 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program residences
• Institutional settings like psychiatric hospitals, correctional institutions, county jails, and juvenile detention facilities (for eligible minors, e.g. 16+ years of age may be eligible for Pfizer vaccine under the emergency use authorization)
• Other vulnerable, congregate, long-term settings

First Responders (Phase 1B)
Sworn law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responders, including:

• New Jersey State Police troopers
• Municipal and county police officers
• Campus police officers
• Detectives in prosecutors' offices and state agencies
• State agency/authority law enforcement officers (such as State Park Police and Conservation officers, Palisades Interstate Parkway officers, Human Services police, and NJ Transit police)
• Investigator, parole and secured facilities officers
• Aeronautical operations specialists
• Sworn federal law enforcement officers and special agents
• Bi-state law enforcement officers (such as the Port Authority)
• Court Security Officers
• Paid and unpaid members of firefighting services (structural and wildland)
• Paid and unpaid members of search and rescue units including technical rescue units and HAZMAT teams
• Paid and unpaid firefighters who provide emergency medical services
• Paid and unpaid members of Industrial units that perform fire, rescue and HAZMAT services
• Members of State Fire Marshal's Offices
• Bi-state fire service personnel (such as the Port Authority)

Individuals at High Risk (Phase 1B)
Individuals aged 65 and older, and individuals ages 16-64 with medical conditions, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus. These conditions include:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Down Syndrome
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
• Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
• Sickle cell disease
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Individuals who are pregnant and those in an immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant are also eligible but should follow CDC guidance and first discuss vaccination with their medical provider before receiving the vaccine. If you are currently eligible, click here for more information on where to get vaccinated.

Who is eligible for vaccination next?

• Additional frontline essential workers (Phase 1B)
• Other essential workers and people living in congregate settings (Phase 1C)
• General population (Phase 2)

This group was designated as 1B, and will likely be next:

• Foodservice workers
• Port Authority workers
• New Jersey Transit workers
• Teachers, staff, and childcare workers
• Workers who support radio, print, internet and television news and media services
• Other critical workers (CISA)
• Other essential workers

This group was originally designated as 1C:

• People living or working in congregate or overcrowded settings – such as colleges and universities
• People living or working in congregate or overcrowded settings – such as migrant workers
• People living or working in congregate or overcrowded settings - other tribal populations
• Other people at high risk of COVID-19 illness due to comorbidities, occupations, demographics, etc.

NOTE: Vaccination phases are tentative and subject to change. The movement between vaccination eligibility phases may be fluid. One phase may overlap with another. Not all individuals in each phase will be vaccinated before opening to additional groups, and not all groups within a specific phase will be made eligible to receive the vaccine at the same time.

Officials note that Garden State residents will not be able to receive a vaccine if any of these conditions apply on the day of appointment:

• If you have experienced any of the following symptoms in the past 48 hours: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
• If, within the past 14 days, you have been in close physical contact (six feet or closer for a cumulative total of 15 minutes) with someone who has laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms.
• If you are isolating or quarantining because you may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 or are worried that you may be sick with COVID-19.
• If you are currently waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test.

Anyone that falls under these categories are asked to cancel their appointment.