Camden County Expects Far More Vaccinations After New Vaccine

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — As New Jersey anticipates the arrival of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, officials in Camden County are optimistic that the number of vaccinated residents is about to skyrocket.

As of Wednesday morning, 15 percent of adults in Camden County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said during a news conference.

More than 31,000 people have been vaccinated at the county’s vaccination site in the Papiano Gym at Camden County College in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, officials said. Another 70,000 people are scheduled to get vaccinated at the site.

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But after Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, officials expect all those numbers to go up. Last week, state officials said they expected to get 70,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if it was approved.

The increase in vaccines means more appointments will become available, Cappelli said.

“When we know we’re getting more vaccines, we contact people who are age 75 and over to move their appointment up, so they can get the Johnson & Johnson shot,” Cappelli said. “That’s one shot, but that opens up two more appointments.”

That’s because the Moderna and Pfier vaccines are both two doses. This will improve on the number of vaccinations, and decrease the number of cases, which has already been dropping.

As of Wednesday, Camden County was averaging 105 cases a day, with an infection rate of 0.87 and a test positivity rate of 7.2. Cases have generally been dropping by between 20 percent and 30 percent for the last few months, although there was a slight increase of 10 percent over the last week, according to Jefferson Health Infectious Disease Physician Dr. Mark Condoluci.

There were 104 new cases announced Wednesday afternoon. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 39,682 cases of the coronavirus and 1,068 coronavirus-related deaths in the county.

“While we are in a much better place than we were a few months ago, we must remain vigilant in order to ensure that COVID-19 does not spike again in our community,” Cappelli said. “Even with vaccinations underway, this pandemic still has the potential to do incredible damage in the coming weeks and months. Now is not the time to stop wearing masks or crowd into small, indoor spaces. Now is the time to double down and beat this virus once and for all.”

Condoluci noted that the efficacy rate of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 75 percent in the United States, a rate that has been complicated by the variants of the disease that have been discovered recently. He also said, “you have a zero percent chance of dying if you get vaccinated.”

Officials remind those who get vaccinated that they should get the second dose in the same location as the first dose, and that they shouldn’t mix vaccines.

They should also continue to comply with the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, even after getting vaccinated. This includes wearing face coverings and maintaining 6 feet of social distancing.

Camden County's four-lane vaccination site is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is supported by volunteers from Cooper University Health Care, Jefferson Health — New Jersey, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and Rutgers College of Nursing, who will distribute the Moderna Vaccie. To register for a vaccination, visit www.CamdenCountyVaccine.com.

Who is eligible for vaccination at this time?

Currently, vaccines are available to the following groups:
Healthcare Personnel (Phase 1A)
Paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials, including, but not limited to:

• Licensed healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists
• Staff like receptionists, janitors, mortuary services, laboratory technicians
• Consultants, per diem, and contractors who are not directly employed by the facility
• Unpaid workers like health professional students, trainees, volunteers, and essential caregivers
• Community health workers, doulas, and public health professionals like Medical Reserve Corps
• Personnel with variable venues like EMS, paramedics, funeral staff, and autopsy workers
• All workers in acute, pediatric, and behavioral health hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers
• All workers in health facilities like psychiatric facilities, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and rehabs
• All workers in clinic-based settings like urgent care clinics, dialysis centers, and family planning sites
• All workers in long-term care settings like nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, and others
• All workers in occupational-based healthcare settings like health clinics within workplaces, shelters, jails, colleges and universities, and K-12 schools
• All workers in community-based healthcare settings like PACE and Adult Living Community Nursing
• All workers in home-based settings like hospice, home care, and visiting nurse services
• All workers in office-based healthcare settings like physician and dental offices
• All workers in public health settings like local health departments, LINCS agencies, harm reduction centers, and medicinal marijuana programs
• All workers in retail, independent, and institutional pharmacies
• Other paid or unpaid people who work in a healthcare setting, who may have direct or indirect contact with infectious persons or materials, and who cannot work from home.

Long-Term Care Residents and Staff (Phase 1A)
All residents and staff of long-term and congregate care facilities, including:

• Skilled nursing facilities
• Veterans homesGroup homes like residential care homes, adult family homes, adult foster homes, and intellectual and developmental disabilities group homes
• HUD 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program residences
• Institutional settings like psychiatric hospitals, correctional institutions, county jails, and juvenile detention facilities (for eligible minors, e.g. 16+ years of age may be eligible for Pfizer vaccine under the emergency use authorization)
• Other vulnerable, congregate, long-term settings

First Responders (Phase 1B)
Sworn law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responders, including:

• New Jersey State Police troopers
• Municipal and county police officers
• Campus police officers
• Detectives in prosecutors' offices and state agencies
• State agency/authority law enforcement officers (e.g. State Park Police and Conservation Officers, Palisades Interstate Parkway Officers, Human Services police, and NJTransit police)
• Investigator, Parole and Secured Facilities Officers
• Aeronautical Operations Specialists
• Sworn Federal Law Enforcement Officers and Special Agents
• Bi-State law enforcement officers (e.g. Port Authority)
• Court Security Officers
• Paid and unpaid members of firefighting services (structural and wildland)
• Paid and unpaid members of Search and Rescue Units including technical rescue units and HAZMAT teams
• Paid and unpaid firefighters who provide emergency medical services
• Paid and unpaid members of Industrial units that perform Fire, Rescue and HAZMAT services
• Members of State Fire Marshal's Offices
• Bi-State Fire Service Personnel (e.g. Port Authority)

Individuals at High Risk (Phase 1B)
Individuals aged 65 and older, and individuals ages 16-64 with medical conditions, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus. These conditions include:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Down Syndrome
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
• Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
• Sickle cell disease
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Individuals who are pregnant and those in an immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant are also eligible but should follow CDC guidance and first discuss vaccination with their medical provider before receiving the vaccine.If you are currently eligible, click here for more information on where to get vaccinated.
Beginning March 15, the following groups will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine:

• Educators, including support staff, in pre-K through 12th grade settings
• Childcare workers in licensed and registered settings
• Public and local transportation workers, including bus, taxi, rideshare, and airport employees; NJ TRANSIT workers; and Motor Vehicle Commission staff
• Public safety workers who are not sworn law enforcement or fire professionals, including probation officers and fire safety inspectors
• Migrant farm workers
• Members of tribal communities
• Individuals experiencing homelessness and those living in shelters, including domestic violence shelters

"Two weeks from today, these groups which I just mentioned will be able to make their appointments and start getting vaccinated," Murphy said. "We expect this to be a total of several hundred thousand workers and residents. What is being constructed between now and the 15th … the exact how and where, and in some cases when, is going to be worked out."
Beginning March 29, front-line essential workers in the following categories will also be eligible for vaccination:

• Food production, agriculture and food distribution (including grocery store and restaurant workers)
• Eldercare and support
• Warehousing and logistics
• Social services support staff
• Elections personnel
• Hospitality
• Medical supply chain
• Postal and shipping services
• Clergy
• Judicial system

After these phases are complete, then the general public will be eligible for vaccination. The timing of the progression among the groups depends on the supply of vaccine to the state balanced by the demand in various phases, officials said.
Other things to know about the vaccine:

• The state has changed the immunization system from an opt-in to an opt-out program for any resident who chooses to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. People who wish to be vaccinated against COVID-19 do not have to first opt-in to the system to make sure that their two-dose regimen is properly tracked and managed.
• Thirty days after the current public health emergency ends, people who enrolled due to the COVID-19 vaccine will be afforded the opportunity to withdraw from the system. The Executive Order does not force anyone to receive the vaccine.
• The state will securely store the vaccine recipient's name, address, date of birth, race, ethnicity, and gender. These are standard data elements that have been used across vaccines administered in New Jersey.
• New Jerseyans can also expect to provide additional demographic and occupational data to ensure equitable and efficient scheduling of vaccinations.
• Medical screening questions will be asked to assess eligibility. All data collected can only be used for public health purposes, like ensuring that the same person returns for a second dose of the same COVID-19 vaccine at the right time interval.
• Data cannot be used for civil or criminal enforcement and cannot be used for immigration enforcement.