Mercer County Expected To Administer First COVID-19 Vaccine

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Mercer County is expected to administer the first COVID-19 vaccine soon.

According to a news release from the Princeton Health Department, the first series of clinics are being scheduled for the week of Dec. 28, with priority given to local EMS and other community health care workers.

The Mercer County Health Officers Association (MCHOA) has formed an alliance to maximize COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the county. The MCHOA will serve all Mercer towns throughout the four phases of the COVID-19 vaccination distribution.

The MCHOA is planning a series of COVID-19 vaccination clinics for healthcare workers, including emergency medical services. This is the 1A phase. In this phase all healthcare workers are eligible for the vaccine.

Currently, hospitals and long-term care centers, like nursing homes, are vaccinating their staff and patients.

The MCHOA said local health departments will obtain and distribute the vaccines locally. The MHCOA was formed in 1972 to safeguard citizens in the event of a public health crisis.

Once the 1A population is vaccinated across the state, a determination at the state level will be made to move onto the next priority group — first responders or 1B, and then onto the next groups — older adults, which is phase 2Aa.

The association said other vaccine sites will be coming soon. These include pharmacies, urgent cares, doctors' offices, etc. But for now, the local health department will collect and distribute the vaccines.

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