NJ Still Urging COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters For Those Eligible

NEW JERSEY — With the holidays approaching, New Jersey officials are urging residents who are eligible to get additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. It’s a work in progress, however, as fewer than a quarter of those eligible have received boosters, according to state numbers.

So far, nearly 832,000 people in New Jersey have received booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, about 23 percent of those eligible, according to the state Department of Health. There are 6.1 million New Jersey residents who are fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The hope and the goal is for everyone eligible to receive the additional shot, said Nancy Kearney, a spokeswoman for the health department.

“New Jersey is actively promoting booster doses for all who are eligible to receive them,” Kearney said. The promotion has been through social media and ads and vaccination events, and through efforts of local and county health departments. The department also has promoted the boosters through about 3 million text messages, sent out by the New Jersey Vaccine Call Center, she said.

“Booster doses provide additional protection with potentially waning immunity,” Kearney said, “particularly with the delta variant still having an impact in New Jersey.”

The federal Centers for Disease Control estimates that almost 99 percent of the new coronavirus cases, through Oct. 16, were caused by the delta variant. That percentage is based on genome sequencing on 3,026 samples over a four-week period ending Oct. 16.

The state's rate of transmission among residents — vaccinated and unvaccinated — has been hovering right around 1 percent, but the positivity rate has creeped up slightly, and was 5.40 percent as of Nov. 6, per the most recent date available on the state's COVID-19 dashboard.

At Monday’s coronavirus update news conference, Gov. Phil Murphy said there have been 44,955 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 across New Jersey since the vaccinations began. Of those, 1,002 people who were fully vaccinated have required hospitalization, and 258 have died, Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.

That's why there is a continued push for the boosters for those who are at risk, Kearney said, because they do provide additional protection for those whose immunity may have lessened.

As of Nov. 7, those 65 and older have had the highest participation in boosters, with 408,941 people receiving them, about 35.8 percent of those who are potentially eligible, Kearney said.

Among eligible people ages 50-64, 180,872 boosters have been administered, about 16.1 percent of the potentially eligible group.

There have been 112,281 boosters administered to those who are eligible among those 30 to 49, about 10.5 percent of those potentially eligible.

Of people 18 to 29 who are eligible, about 5.5 percent have received boosters, with 24,028 doses administered.

On Monday Murphy mentioned the possibility of expanding booster access to all adults in New Jersey.

“We’re sitting on more supply than demand,” Murphy said.

The CDC has not made that move yet, however. Pfizer-BioNtech, which had a prior request to make boosters available to anyone 18 or older turned down by the federal Food and Drug Administration, has renewed its request to the FDA to expand eligibility, NPR reported. The CDC sets its guidelines based on what the FDA has approved.

Kearney said the state will continue to follow the CDC’s eligibility guidelines for boosters.

“The Department continues to transfer doses to other locations throughout the state to accommodate need and ensure equal access to vaccine,” she said.

According to the CDC, for individuals who received a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at six months or more after their initial series:

• 65 years and older
• Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
• Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
• Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings

The authorization also recommends that everyone ages 18 and older who received a first Johnson & Johnson dose receive a booster dose at least two months after completing the single-dose primary regimen.

In addition, according to the CDC, "Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others, may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots."

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