COVID Vaccine Sites Added In Sussex County. Here's The Latest

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in New Jersey continues to increase. But the Garden State continues to deal with issues in its vaccine rollout.

The New Jersey Department of Health has logged 2,511,731 vaccine doses administered as of noon Monday, including 854,001 who have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. The state set a goal to inoculate 70 percent of adults in six months, which would mean 4.7 million people fully vaccinated by mid-June.

Here are some recent updates on getting the COVID-19 vaccine in New Jersey.

Who's Eligible

The following people are eligible for vaccinations in New Jersey as of Tuesday:

• health care workers
• residents and workers in longterm-care of high-risk congregate care facilities
• first responders, including sworn law enforcement and fire professionals
• people 65 or older
• people ages 16-65 with qualifying medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus
• educators and staff from pre-K through 12th grade
• childcare workers in licensed and registered settings

Transportation workers, additional public-safety workers and other high-risk individuals will be able to get vaccinated starting March 15.
The following become eligible March 29:

• 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

NJ Lagging Behind Its Vaccine Goal

New Jersey received its first shipments last week of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — the first one-dose COVID-19 vaccine distributed in the United States. The one-dose shots could become instrumental in helping New Jersey reach its six-month vaccine goal.
Nearly three months into vaccinations, the Garden State has fallen behind. New Jersey would need to administer 9.4 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to meet its six-month goal. That's about 51,000 per day over a six-month period.

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.

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

Those who work or volunteer at select health care facilities can make an appointment through their place of work. Veterans who receive care from Veterans Affairs health facilities or live in VA long-term care facilities may be eligible for vaccines through the VA.

Here are the sites available near Sussex County:

Newton Medical Center - Romano Conference Center
175 High Street Newton
The website

ShopRite Pharmacy of Byram

90-80 route 206
Stanhope, NJ 07874
(973) 448-2902

ShopRite Pharmacy of Newton

125 Water St RT 206
Newton, NJ 07860
(973) 579-1119

ShopRite Pharmacy #291 Franklin

• The website

ShopRite Pharmacy #283 Sparta

• The website

CVS, Stanhope

• CVS app or cvs.com

CVS, Vernon

• CVS app or cvs.com

Rite Aid Store 10408, Hamburg

• riteaid.com/pharmacy/covid-qualifier

Weis Markets #143, Newton

• weismarkets.com/pharmacy-services

Weis Markets #147, Franklin

• weismarkets.com/pharmacy-services

Sussex County Department of Health & Human Services

Atlantic Health officials released a video discussing their vaccination work in northern New Jersey:

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.
• 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.
• Acme is not doing COVID vaccines yet, but you can now 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.
• Wegmans began taking appointments on March 4 for all of their stories in the tristate area. The details we reported on previously.

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