Sussex County Prepping To Vaccinate Residents Against COVID-19

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Sussex County Division of Health said it has been working each day to plan and prepare for vaccinating county residents against the coronavirus. County officials said registration for the vaccine will take place online in the very near future.

"This site will be open to residents shortly. The county will be posting more information about vaccination registration in coming days," county officials said in a news release.

The county's announcement comes as the New Jersey Department of Health went live with its NJVSS COVID-19 vaccine registration portal Tuesday. Through this portal, residents, who are included in Phase 1A of the vaccination plan, can pre-register to receive their COVID-19 vaccines.

The registration includes a series of questions that must be answered before receiving the
vaccine.

To determine if you are part of Phase 1A, click here.

Although health insurance is used for payment in most cases, residents don't need health insurance to receive the vaccine. Uninsured people can receive the vaccine free, or at no cost, through New Jersey.

Although the portal is up and running, Sussex County officials said pre-registration is about as far as you can get currently.

County officials said they will vaccinate people using the guidance set by New Jersey’s Department of Health. This means the county will offer the vaccine in four phases.

Currently the state is in Phase 1A, which means that long-term care residents and health care personnel that are both paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials will receive the COVID-19 vaccine first.

The next phase will be Phase 1B. According to the New Jersey Department of Health,
the state may not arrive at this phase for weeks as there are over 650,000 people who qualify for
Phase 1A. Phase 1B will include front-line essential workers and people over 75.

Phase 1C is the next phase, this includes other essential workers, adults 65-74 and persons aged 16-64 that have increased risk for severe illness due to diagnosed medical conditions.

Finally, during Phase 2, vaccination will include the general public.

"How quickly we will reach this phase will be determined by supply and demand for the vaccine," county officials said.

Information about the vaccine may change as updates are received, county officials stressed. Residents can keep an eye out for any updates by checking the Sussex County website at this link.

For more information, residents may also call the Sussex County COVID-19 Hotline at 973-579-9488 to speak with a Division of Health staff member or Sussex County Medical Reserve Corps volunteer. The Hotline’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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