Westfield Residents Invited To 2 Virtual Vaccine Forums This Week

WESTFIELD, NJ – Westfield residents are invited to two virtual events this coming week meant to provide information and answer questions about the coronavirus vaccines that are available:

• Monday evening: The Union County Board of Commissioners has invited local residents to a virtual meeting to provide facts about the coronavirus vaccines and debunk false information. The virtual forum will take place Monday evening at 6 p.m. You can pre-register at bit.ly/vaccinetownhallucnj.
• Thursday morning: A Zoom discussion entitled “COVID Vaccine: Fact or Fiction?” will be held for seniors and other vulnerable members of the community looking to obtain more information, Thursday at 11 a.m. The panel of experts will include Dr. Lawrence Budnick, President of the Westfield Board of Health; Megan Avallone, Regional Health Director; Ellen Shelley, Vulnerable Populations Coordinator for the Board of Health; and Dr. Pamela Brug, Westfield resident and Vice President of the New Jersey Black Women Physicians Association. To obtain the Zoom registration information for that event, please email westfieldnjseniors@gmail.com, or call 908-301-1287. Limited space will also be available for on site viewing in several locations, which requires advance registration as well.

Monday's forum

“Spreading lies is especially harmful to diverse communities like Union County, and that is why the Board of Commissioners is taking action,” said Vice Chair Rebecca Williams, regarding Monday's forum. “It is important to know where these rumors come from and why they impact communities of color."

"With misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines continuing to run rampant, the Union County Board of Commissioners will host a virtual, interactive Town Hall on Zoom beginning at 6 p.m.," the commissioners announced Friday. "The Town Hall is aimed at helping the Union County community confront the rumors head-on and increase the vaccination rate in communities of color."

Pre-registration is required for the Zoom link at bit.ly/vaccinetownhallucnj.

Vaccination rates in the U.S. vary widely by race, with communities of color far below the rate for whites, the county said.

In a recent county-by-county analysis of New Jersey, the percentage of Black residents receiving the vaccine was at least 41 percent lower than for whites, and the difference was at least 45 percent for Hispanic/Latinx recipients compared to whites, the county said.

“We are determined not to let the weight of the past overpower equal access to safe, effective vaccines for every Union County resident,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “By bringing this conversation to the community, we hope to break down the myths and empower everyone to arm themselves with facts in the fight against COVID-19.”

Vice Chair Rebecca Williams said, “It is important to know where these rumors come from and why they impact communities of color, in order to ensure that every Union County resident knows they have the power to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities against a lethal virus.”

1,895 still hospitalized in NJ

The state of New Jersey reported a week ago that 1,895 people are still hospitalized with the virus, 407 of those in critical care, and 57 percent of those on ventilators. 38 more fatalities were reported since the day before, bringing the state's confirmed deaths to 21,530.

While the daily fatality rate is starting to drop again, it's not at the level it was six months ago, before the second wave in New Jersey when there were a total of only two coronavirus fatalities reported statewide from Sept. 7 to Sept. 8.

On April 30, 2020, the one-day death toll in New Jersey reached an all-time high of 460 residents in 24 hours.

As of Friday, across the country, approximately 548,000 Americans had died of the virus. (You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map.)

'Deadly path'

“Fear-mongering and misinformation have carved a deadly path all throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This is clearly a public safety issue that impacts all of us, and the Town Hall is another step in our campaign to push back and shine a light on the facts,” said Commissioner Sergio Granados, who chairs the Board’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. “We encourage all Union County residents to attend this forum, especially those in minority communities where statistics indicate the need for accurate, fact based information about COVID-19 vaccines.”

“The historical wrongs against communities of color on the public health front are real and should be considered as we continue to roll out efforts to achieve full vaccination and guard against the spread of COVID-19,” said Commissioner Angela R. Garretson.

The Town Hall will begin with opening remarks by Commissioner Garretson, followed by a presentation on the historical background of vaccine skepticism by Vice Chair Williams and a panel discussion featuring Dr. Chris T. Pernell, MD of University Hospital, Dr. Omar M. Bey, MD of RWJ Barnabas Health, and Dr. Gerardo Capo, MD of Trinitas Medical Center.

The public will be invited to ask questions of the panelists as well as other elected officials, community leaders, and religious leaders.

The event will conclude with closing remarks by Commissioner Granados, including information on how to register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Testing and vaccines

For more information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including the Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University, the Mobile Test Unit walk-up sites, vaccination information, emergency food distribution and other support services, visit ucnj.org/covid19.

Click here to see when you'll be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in New Jersey (and a new group becoming eligible March 29).

Seniors in Union County can call this number if they have no computer access: 908-613-7829, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 to 1 on Saturday.

See Patch's list of where to get the coronavirus vaccines in Union County.

More information about the vaccines

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, including the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, are a new type of vaccine that doesn't include the weakened virus, but teaches human cells to make a protein that triggers the immune response (read more about that here). The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is more traditional (see stories about all three vaccines here and here.)

Doctors say that the important metric is that all three are effective in preventing serious illness and death from covid — and that having the majority of the public vaccinated, no matter which vaccine, will lessen the spread.

Other information

• Here is the link you can use any time to see the updated list of people eligible in New Jersey.

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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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