Burlington County Calls For Earlier Vaccinations For Teachers

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County officials are fighting for teachers and other educators to get higher priority when it comes to the coronavirus vaccine.

And it appears as though someone may have been listening, as Gov. Phil Murphy told MSNBC Thursday night that teachers were “on deck” to get the vaccine. Read more here: NJ Issues New COVID Vaccine Priority List; Teachers ‘On Deck’

New Jersey began vaccinating frontline health care workers, including EMS workers, and vulnerable seniors and staff at nursing homes last month as part of Phase 1A of its vaccination plan. Police, and firefighters are also getting vaccinations as part of that phase and Gov. Phil

Murphy announced Wednesday that residents 65 or older and residents 16 and older with high-risk medical conditions are also now eligible. On Wednesday, the Burlington County Commissioners urged Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Health to prioritize teachers and other school employees as part of the 1A Phase like they did police and firefighters.

The commissioners cited the “critical role educators have in the development, maturation and education” of children and the importance of an “uninterrupted education” for their knowledge and social skills.

“We understand the need to prioritize who gets vaccines and when, but we believe teachers and other school employees should be among these first groups we give shots,” Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson said. “Clearly our teachers are essential workers and the sooner they are vaccinated the more confident we’ll all feel about the safety of our schools.”

New Jersey has not yet announced a date when Phase 1B vaccinations will begin but said it could be several weeks, given that more than 650,000 people were estimated to be eligible for the vaccine under Phase 1A. Factors such as the availability of vaccine and public confidence will also be weighted, according to the Murphy administration.

Burlington County began vaccinating EMS workers and other frontline health care workers last month at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center in Westampton and is now also vaccinating police and firefighters.

The vaccination mega site at the Moorestown Mall opened on Friday, according to New Jersey Health Department Commissioner Judith Persichilli. Read more here: Moorestown Mall To Serve As COVID Vaccine ‘Megasite,’ Murphy Says

The Moorestown Mall site is intended to be a regional vaccination center and will be operated seven days a week through a partnership between Burlington County, Virtua Health and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.

Burlington County has administered close to 14,000 doses of the vaccine, the eighth highest total of New Jersey’s 21 counties, according to officials.