Herd Immunity Priority Number 1 In Bergen County For 2021

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — County Executive Jim Tedesco has a list of priorities for his administration to tackle in 2021, but none are of more importance than reaching herd immunity.

Tedesco delivered the first virtual State of the County address, which popped up on various social media channels, and on YouTube, Monday evening. In the pre-recorded message, Tedesco touched on the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and how his administration plans to move forward.

Watch the full address below:

Tedesco called reaching herd immunity his number one priority for the new year, but acknowledged that more available vaccine doses are necessary to get there.

The county has been able to get over 30,000 residents in the vaccination program at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center thus far, but Tedesco said getting an appointment remains difficult.

"I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to get more needles in the arms of our residents," he said.

That should be easier to do in the coming weeks, after Gov. Phil Murphy expanded the list of people now eligible to receive the vaccine. Newly added are educators, tribal communities, day care workers, public transit employees and those experiencing homelessness, among others. Read more: More NJ COVID Vaccine Expansion: Clergy, Food Workers, Day Care

Another boon to the efforts come in the form of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 70,000 doses of which are to be delivered to New Jersey by the end of the week, according to Murphy.

"The importance of having a third highly effective vaccine in our toolkit, especially one that requires only one dose and that can be stored in regular refrigeration, cannot be overstated," Murphy said. "This is a game-changer to get more shots in arms as with everything else we just need the supply."

More availability comes as welcome news to both officials and residents across the county, who sit on the eve of a tragic anniversary.

New Jersey's first COVID-19 case was recorded in Fort Lee on March 4, Tedesco remembered. Six days later, on March 10, the county recorded the state's first death.

"This was not just a death, it was a life," said Tedesco. "It was not just a statistic, it was a member of our Bergen County family. And, sadly, it would not be the last."

Tedesco detailed the early days of the pandemic, recalling overrun hospitals, overworked healthcare workers and incalculable levels of fear and confusion. Even when the fear subsided, the hardships continued.

Nearly 70,000 county residents tested positive for COVID-19, and another 2,340 died from it.

Businesses sat on the verge of closing. Eventually, some did.

People lost loved ones, and many county residents struggled to pay their bills and put food on their tables.

But Tedesco is hopeful that the darkest days are in the past.

"I'm here to tell you I see light at the end of the tunnel," he said.