NJ Streamlines Vaccine Distribution, Provides New Timing Details

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday provided a new timeline on New Jersey's vaccine distribution while also saying the Garden State is streamlining the process.

Murphy made the announcement during his news conference as he also reported 5,673 new coronavirus cases Friday in New Jersey — the state's highest daily total and the first time the Garden State has exceeded 5,000 new cases. He also announced 49 new deaths, bringing New Jersey's totals to 15,419 confirmed deaths and 356,662 cases since the pandemic began.

Murphy, speaking on PIX11 on Friday, said he expects hospitals to receive the initial shipment by Dec. 15. They'll begin providing vaccinations after the Food and Drug Administration authorizes them. The FDA is to meet Thursday about Pfizer's vaccine.

He expects 300,000 to 500,000 vaccine doses in New Jersey by the end of December.

Murphy said health care and front-line workers will be the first to get them, and the shipments will move within 24 hours after the FDA authorizes the vaccine. But he advised people to continue taking precautions.

"The mere presence of a vaccine in our state doesn’t mean we can remove all our restrictions or lift an advisory," he said. "COVID doesn’t disappear because there are vaccines in a freezer."

Murphy said he streamlined the process of distributing the vaccine by signing an executive order allowing people to opt out of, rather than opt in to, receiving the coronavirus vaccine once it's publicly available.

"Everybody is in, and you will have a chance at the end of the public health crisis within 30 days to opt out," he said. "This doesn't mean you'll be forced to take a vaccine."

Murphy said the state will receive 76,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine to test the effectiveness of its storage freezers in holding them

The initial shipment will help test the hospitals' storage systems and assist the federal government in expediting shipment and delivery of vaccines, Murphy says.

Northjersey.com identified six hospitals that will likely receive doses: Hackensack University Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center, University Hospital in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City and Cooper University Hospital in Camden. All have arctic-level, subzero freezers.

Murphy said during the news conference that he wasn't sure where that list came from, but he promised to provide more details by next week.