Maplewood Urges Seniors To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The city of Maplewood sent out a notification Thursday to let residents know that effective that ady, people 65 and over, and individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 with serious medical conditions (as defined by the CDC), are eligible to register to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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.

For individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 with serious medical conditions, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe illness from the virus (defined as high risk). These conditions include:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Diabetes mellitus, Type 2
• 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

The State is still vaccinating healthcare workers as defined in Group 1A, and first responders in Group 1B, such as firefighters and police.

Learn more about those classifications here:

• https://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/home/urgent-alerts/covid-19-vaccine-guid...
• https://nj.gov/health/legal/covid19/Vaccines%20-%201B%20Facts%20-%20New%...

Questions and answers:

Where do I register to be vaccinated?

Essex County residents who qualify as healthcare workers, first responders, seniors (65+), or who are between the ages of 18-64 with serious medical conditions should register to be vaccinated here:

www.essexcovid.orgWhat do I do if I'm eligible but in need of transportation to a vaccination site?

Maplewood is currently working with county officials to pool resources into transportation options for residents in need (ie using our jitneys and their buses). Those details have not been confirmed at this time. Make note of the following existing resources:

Transportation for residents age 60+ or with disabilities

There are two fully accessible transportation options – Essex County Special Transportation Services (the blue bus) and Access link. YOU MUST BE REGISTERED IN ADVANCE TO USE EITHER SERVICE. Once registered, you can make reservations:

• Essex County Special Transportation Services: For residents 60+, Essex County provides free, handicap accessible transportation to all towns within the county. Call (973) 618-1280 to register and set up an appointment. Once you are in the system, you can begin scheduling rides.· Access link
• Access Link is for people with disabilities: Service shadows local fixed route buses and light rails, with pick-up and drop-off points within 3/4 mile of an eligible bus route or light rail station. For current Access link riders, call 800-955-ADA1 (2321) and selecting option #2 or go to https://accesslink.njtransit.com to make a reservation. To find out if you are eligible for Access link or to register and be certified for the service, call 800-955-ADA1 (2321) and select option #1 for information on the Certification Group
• You can also use public transit, such as NJ Transit to Livingston Mall.

When will the next vaccination phase open up and how are the phases determined?
Please see here: https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/slowing-the-spread/who-is-eli...To VOLUNTEER at any of the Essex County vaccination sites, please see here:

For medical professionals: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXC0l-q2tI9yCNegWxKv69RqQTTnvT...

For non medical professionals: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdy25OMRo0mdkAJCnFQCKGtjJeWfJ2B...

More about vaccination

The state's goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population – or 4.7 million adults – within six months.

Gov. Phil Murphy reportedly said recently that he'd like to start vaccinating the general public by Memorial Day.

State and national trends

As of Wednesday, more than 382,000 Americans had died of the virus. (You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map.)

New Jersey had its highest new case total ever from last Wednesday to Thursday, and a daily death toll of 123 people. More than 17,000 across the state have passed away from the virus. This was the first time New Jersey topped 100 fatalities for three days in a row, since May.

Gov. Phil Murphy said 3,488 people are hospitalized with the virus statewide, 668 on ICU, 469 on ventilators. He also said 459 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospitals and 449 discharged.

OTHER TRENDS

• Use this link to see the updated fatality count in the United States.
• More than 900 health care workers have died of the virus nationally.
• Others are simultaneously fighting misinformation and hoaxes as they try to fight the virus.

HOW TO GET HELP WITH HEAT, RENT, AND MORE

• During the State of Emergency in New Jersey, no tenant is permitted to be evicted from their home or apartment for the inability to pay rent. Talk to your local mayor's office if you are experiencing difficulties.
• The CARES act has made money available to help with rent in each city. More information is here.
• New Jersey residents can get help with heating and energy bills. Information is here.
• Various other avenues of relief and benefits have also been made available, including family leave for 12 weeks if you can't work due to your child's school or camp being closed, and changes to unemployment rules to help those who were at a job for a short time, or freelancing.

LONG-TERM CARE

• Recently, there were 159 long term care facilities with active outbreaks, the state Department of Health said last month. The state announced that deaths at the facilities had more than doubled since May 1.
• New Jersey residents became alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities. The state announced plans in May to increase testing at some long term care facilities.
• The state released death toll statistics in spring for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.
• You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.
• Some New Jersey long-term care facilities reopened for limited visits, with precautions, in July.
• Facilities began receiving the coronavirus vaccine in December and January, starting with a long-term care home in Old Bridge in December. Read about one Summit nursing home vaccinating residents and staff here.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

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