Cooper Among First NJ Hospitals To Get Coronavirus Vaccine

Several hospital employees at Cooper University Hospital in Camden will be among the first in New Jersey to get vaccinated for the coronavirus Tuesday morning. Vaccinations will begin at 10 a.m., a spokesperson for the health system said Monday evening.

Vaccinations will also take place for doctors, nurses and staff at University Hospital in Newark and AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City Tuesday morning. All have arctic-level, subzero freezers in place to store the vaccines. Read more: Coronavirus Vaccines Coming To NJ On Tuesday: Here's When, Where

On Friday, Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, and Dr. Deborah Birx from White House Coronavirus Task Force were at Cooper to discuss the response to the coronavirus pandemic in South Jersey, according to Cooper spokesperson Wendy Marano.

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“Having been in government for many years and knowing how thankless a job it can be, I want to offer a special thank you to Governor Murphy, Commissioner Persichilli, and Dr. Birx for all you’re doing and for your leadership during this pandemic,” Cooper co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd said to open up a roundtable discussion on the issue.

“Cooper, in this crisis over the past months, has been a leading light in our state having treated over 7,000 COVID-19 patients, testing more than 63,000 people, and providing hero bonus wages for frontline workers. It starts with the Chairman of the Board, George Norcross, who has stood tall in this community and with this medical center and beyond for decades,” Murphy said.

“I’m very proud of how this state has conducted itself and the way in which our leadership, under Governor Murphy, have come together to make the people of New Jersey feel that honest, hardworking people are attempting to keep them safe and secure. I want to thank Governor Murphy for his leadership,” Cooper Chairman George E. Norcross III said.

Birx emphasized the need for vulnerable individuals to be put on therapeutic drugs as early as possible once symptoms appear, for more creative ideas to test younger people to prevent the spread, and the data showing how the second wave has spread throughout the country.

“I’d like to thank Cooper for all the work you have done through this pandemic. We rely on you as the Southern Jersey and being able to call you with questions. You did things down here that we were able to spread to Central and North Jersey,” Persichilli said.

Also joining the roundtable, were Cooper co-CEO Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli; Orion Clarke, Director of Environmental Services at Cooper; Dr. Eric Kupersmith, Chief Physician Executive who is leading the regional coordination in South Jersey; Dr. Raquel Nahra, Cooper’s Hospital Epidemiologist and Infectious Disease physician; and Dr. Joseph Montella, Cooper’s Chief Medical Officer.

Also on Friday, Camden County officials said they would help local hospitals administer the vaccine, beginning with Cooper. They also said a distribution site would be set up at Camden County College in Gloucester Township, but didn’t specify when. Read more here: South Jersey Hospitals Ready To Distribute Coronavirus Vaccine

The list of those at the front of the line includes any licensed healthcare worker in the state of New Jersey, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, physical therapists and occupational therapists, as well as anyone in their staff, such as receptionists, she said.

Also eligible are environmental service workers, lab technicians, mortuary service workers, consultants or contractors who deal with medical services but may not work in an actual medical office, community health workers such as midwives and doulas and also paramedics, EMTs and first-aid responders.

The list goes on:

• Funeral care and autopsy workers
• Unpaid workers like students who are studying in hospitals
• Those who work in psychiatric hospitals
• Rehabilitation staff
• Dialysis center workers
• Those who work at family planning sites
• Those who work at group homes and assisted living complexes
• People who are at risk of exposure in a jail setting
• Homeless shelter workers and residents
• Visiting nurses, nurses who work at assisted living homes
• Hospice facility staff
• Medical marijuana facilities

There are 650,000 New Jersey residents who fit into one of those above categories. It does not mean all 650,000 will get the vaccine in December: The state of New Jersey has 76,050 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to give in the first round.

Those who live in long-term care facilities will also start receiving their first round of the vaccine this week. The Pfizer vaccine will require a second shot. More than 20,000 doses will go to long-term care facilities and 54,000 will go to hospitals, which will be the only points of dispensing this week. Read more here: Here’s Who’s Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine First In New Jersey

With reporting by Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff