Somerset County Begins COVID Vaccines At Raritan Valley College

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Somerset County has begun administering the COVID-19 vaccine at Raritan Valley Community College, which will serve as the primary vaccination site for the county.

Roughly 1,000 law enforcement officers and firefighters received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Thursday and Friday.

"Somerset County's COVID vaccination clinic for first responders is very well organized, very impressive," said Michael Jannone, Chief of the Finderne Fire Department in Bridgewater, who received his first dose on Thursday. "Today’s clinic makes me confident the County’s Health Department will do its part to vaccinate everyone in the county who wants to be vaccinated."

The vaccine is in high demand in the county as all 500 slots were filled up within one hour of the registration link being posted on Friday morning.

Currently, Somerset County is administering the vaccine to Phase 1 categories of health care staff, first responders, essential workers, and vulnerable populations. Following Phase 1, vaccinations will be rolled out to the general public, as well.

Dr. Namitha Reddy, the Director of the Somerset County Department of Health (SCDOH) and leader of the county's COVID-19 response said the goal is to have 70 percent of Somerset County vaccinated by the summer with hopes of getting closer to 90 percent.

The county has had no issues with vaccines expiring or sitting around as she is "getting the vaccines out as fast as we get them," said Reddy.

The county is hosting vaccination days about three days a week at Raritan Valley Community College, 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, for the month of January with plans to increase to five days a week depending on the availability of vaccines.

The main reason the county doesn't have future dates set up on its website for COVID vaccines is due to the uncertainty of how much or when more vaccines are coming in.

Somerset County has also begun hosting pop-up testing clinics. The first one was held on Wednesday in Bound Brook. Another is scheduled in North Plainfield for next Friday. More details will be announced as it gets closer.

Anyone interested in receiving a vaccine at RVCC or any of the Somerset County sites must register at covidvaccine.nj.gov.###a>

Reddy was the first in the county to receive a vaccine and is encouraging everyone to get it. Read More: Somerset County Rolls Out COVID-19 Vaccine For Health Workers

"The vaccination is really very painless since they are using such a fine needle," said Reedy.

Reedy said the only side effect she received was a little soreness in her arm in the area the vaccine was given. That soreness went away after a day. Other Somerset County staff also had the same response as Reedy.

For more information on getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Somerset County visit click here or call 908-231-7155 or follow facebook.com/SomersetCountyNJ.

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