Health & Fitness

Morris County Hits NJ's Goal: 70 Percent Of Adults Vaccinated

The Morris County megasite will close by the end of July, but the county becomes NJ's first to reach the 70 percent benchmark.

With a few weeks to spare, Morris became the first county in New Jersey to meet the state's goal of getting 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
With a few weeks to spare, Morris became the first county in New Jersey to meet the state's goal of getting 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (Jacob Baumgart/Patch)

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — With a few weeks to spare, Morris became the first county in New Jersey to meet the state's goal of getting 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Morris County also leads New Jersey in terms of total population fully vaccinated, standing at 56.2 percent as of Thursday morning.

The New Jersey Department of Health set a goal for 70 percent of adults to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of June. President Joe Biden wants to reach the same benchmark nationally by July 4. The data shows 60.6 percent of New Jersey's adults fully vaccinated but only 51.9 percent nationally.

The Garden State will close its six vaccination megasites — including the Morris County regional site at Rockaway Townsquare Mall — by the end of July. It's not clear how much New Jersey will progress in terms of vaccinations by then, but the state says it will focus more on smaller, local efforts.

Find out what's happening in Morristownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"We're going on the offense, and we're bringing the vaccine to the people," Murphy said. "We're localizing our efforts. Every New Jerseyan who wants to be vaccinated will be. That's our promise. That's our goal."

While some counties have seen more success in getting people vaccinated than others, New Jersey's municipal data also shows disparities within counties. Chatham Borough leads the county with 84 percent of adults fully vaccinated, while only 47 percent of Harding Township adults are fully inoculated against COVID-19.

Find out what's happening in Morristownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Here's the percentage of fully vaccinated adults in each Morris County town as of Thursday morning:

  • Chatham Borough, 84 percent
  • Morris Plains, 82 percent
  • Mountain Lakes, 80 percent
  • Mendham Borough, 77 percent
  • Chatham Township, 76 percent
  • Wharton Borough, 75 percent
  • Chester Borough, 74 percent
  • Boonton Township, 73 percent
  • Rockaway Borough, 73 percent
  • Parsippany, 72 percent
  • Denville Township: 71 percent
  • Morris Township, 71 percent
  • Randolph Township, 71 percent
  • Hanover Township, 69 percent
  • Madison Borough, 69 percent
  • Montville Township, 69 percent
  • Long Hill Township, 68 percent
  • Pequannock Township, 67 percent
  • Lincoln Park Borough, 66 percent
  • Boonton, 65 percent
  • East Hanover, 65 percent
  • Rockaway Township, 65 percent
  • Mine Hill Township, 64 percent
  • Washington Township, 63 percent
  • Mount Arlington, 62 percent
  • Kinnelon Borough, 61 percent
  • Riverdale Borough, 61 percent
  • Roxbury Township, 61 percent
  • Morristown, 60 percent
  • Butler Borough, 59 percent
  • Florham Park, 59 percent
  • Mount Olive, 58 percent
  • Chester Township, 58 percent
  • Mendham Township, 57 percent
  • Dover, 56 percent
  • Netcong Borough, 53 percent
  • Jefferson Township, 52 percent
  • Harding Township, 47 percent

Morris County is ahead of the rest of New Jersey by most benchmarks. Currently, 64.6 people 12 and older — the eligible population — have been fully vaccinated in Morris County.

See the chart below:

The state health department has reported the following in Morris County since the pandemic began:

  • 41,832 confirmed cases
  • 8,261 probable cases, established through viral antigen testing
  • 974 confirmed deaths
  • 259 probable deaths

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