NJ COVID Vaccines To Expand To Ages 55+, Retail, Many Others

NEW JERSEY - The state has expanded COVID-19 vaccination eligibility yet again, this time including all state residents ages 55 and older, retail workers and many others.

Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement during a Friday news conference moments after touring Kean University’s site where more than 50,000 area residents already received a vaccination.

Here's who will be eligible on 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.

"We know that there are many in these categories, by the way, who have already recieved their vaccinations because they already qualify under a previous eligibility expansion. but we're now ready to push forward to include everyone on this list," Murphy said.

Read more: Where To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In New Jersey

"We want everyone to have a date they can look forward to and I know everyone is anxious to get their shot."

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

The governor added that, although there remains a supply-demand imbalance in the state, New Jersey still ranks No. 4 in the nation for vaccine distribution efficiency.

"If you look at efficiency of delivering doses into people's arms relative to the supply recieved, New Jersey ranks No. 4 in the nation right now. In the three states ahead of it, Minnesota, North Dakota and New Mexico, I believe combined don't have nearly the 9 million residents that we do in New Jersey," Murphy said.

"This hasn't been a straight line, and for folks out there who are still trying to get an appointment and you're anxious, we don't blame you," Murphy added. "We understand that there is still a supply-demand imbalance. but that is going to go away ... equity remains our principal and main focus. We have got to get these shots into the arms of everybody in our state, not just some. We have the most diverse state in the nation. It is incumbent upon us working with county and local officials, health departments up and down the state, to get vaccinations into the broad diversity and broad representation of this state."

Murphy also announced a federally-funded pilot vaccination program in Newark, which is expected to begin vaccinations Monday morning. The FEMA vaccine site will be situated at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and is anticipated to administer 6,000 doses per day, seven days a week for at least eight weeks. The site will be available to all New Jersey residents who meet vaccination eligibility criteria.

The site will “focus on ensuring vaccine equity and reaching deep in the communities with higher risk of virus exposure and infection,” the governor said.

"We've learned that bringing vaccine clinics deep into the communities and community centers sand churches, the percent of individuals from Black and Brown communities increases exponentially," said state Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli. "In Elizabeth, Trenton, we're seeing between 45 and 60 percent of individuals getting vaccinated from communities of color. We have delivered triplets, they just arrived through vans that will be outfitted with a full staff to go deep into communities and vaccinate individuals in about three weeks. We're working with one of the major healthcare systems in New Jersey to license those vans as acute care centers and we'll be ready to move with our triplets."

In his remarks, Murphy noted that the state is currently averaging several hundred thousand shots per week, with federal vaccine allocation expected to ramp up in the coming days. Next week, New Jersey is expected to receive 494,430 doses, a “nearly 20 percent” increase week over week, according to the governor.

“Our administration has worked closely with communities to build an extensive vaccination infrastructure and has opened over 700 vaccination sites across the state,” Murphy said. “We are already averaging approximately half a million shots per week, and with an expected increase in our federal allocation, we are confident we can expand our vaccination program to more of our essential workers and vulnerable populations. Together with our community partners and a steady supply of vaccine from the federal government, we will meet – and exceed – our goal of vaccinating 4.7 million New Jersey adults.”

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.