Gloucester Twp. Site Seeing 5K Fewer Vaccine Doses Than Expected

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A slow start to the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine means Camden County is vaccinating about 5,000 fewer people a week than they would’ve liked.

At the same time, more residents have been vaccinated against the virus than have tested positive for it throughout the pandemic, officials said during a news conference on Wednesday.

The county anticipated being able to vaccinate 7,000 people a week, but has so far only been able to vaccinate 2,000 people a week. This is based on the federal government's inability to this point to provide an adequate number of doses to the states, Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young said.

“It’s quite disappointing that we don’t have the vaccine available to maximize what our resources have been put together to accomplish,” Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher said. “The state has asked that we finish up the vaccine that we have on hand now. We moved up some of the appointments to achieve that goal, and we are planning very carefully for the amount of vaccine that we have been promised.”

They have had to schedule fewer appointments, with some being pushed back into the summer, Lasher said.

“The good part about our operation is that it’s scalable, which means that once we get more vaccine, we can quickly scale up.”

Rep. Donald Norcross, D-Burlington/Camden/Gloucester, found hope in the announcement by President Joe Biden on Wednesday that the weekly supply would be increased from 8.6 million to 10 million doses weekly across the country. Biden also said the federal government is looking to buy a total of 2 million additional doses of the vaccines.

As such, Lesher is still urging residents to go online to schedule their appointment. Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young also said the county isn’t throwing away any vaccine.

“If any are left over, we call people to come get their vaccinations (early),” Young said.

As of Wednesday, 5,300 residents have been vaccinated against the virus at the county’s vaccination site in the Papiano Gym on the Blackwood campus of Camden County College. In all, 5,500 residents have registered to get vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, 35,636 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 914 have died since the pandemic began.

The average number of new cases a day dropped below 200 for the first time since Nov. 12, but 167 deaths have been announced in the last 30 days, making it the deadliest period of the pandemic in Camden County. There were 18 new deaths announced on Tuesday.

Camden County officials have repeatedly said the vaccines are safe, and they’re also reminding residents that they should get the second shot. Those second shots should be consistent with where the first shots were administered.

“You want to make sure you don’t get your first shot in Camden County and then go somewhere else for the second, or that you mix up shots,” Rep. Donald Norcross said. “You don’t want to get a Pfizer vaccine on the first dose and a Moderna vaccine on the second. You can’t mix vaccines up.”

Anyone who received a dose of the Pfizer vaccine should get their second dose 21 days after their first one. Anyone who received the Moderna vaccine should get their second dose 28 days after their first one. However, if that is not possible, the CDC says the second dose can be scheduled up to 42 days after the first dose.

Officials note that the vaccine doesn’t contain the live virus. Since the virus duplicates itself in the body to help it spread, the vaccine contains a particle that tells the body how to prevent that from happening.

The particle dies shortly after it does its job, meaning it doesn’t hang around inside the body, and it doesn’t change DNA, Lasher said.

Anyone can pre-register to get vaccinated, even if they don't qualify for a vaccine yet, by visiting covidvaccinenj.gov.

The following information is currently available regarding the most recent deaths in Camden County:

• A Haddonfield woman in her 80s;
• A Camden woman in her 50s;
• A Bellmawr woman in her 70s;
• A Pine Hill man in his 60s;
• A Lindenwold woman in her 60s;
• A Collingswood man in his 90s;
• A Winslow man in his 70s;
• A Lindenwold man in his 40s;
• A Camden woman in her 60s;
• An Audubon man in his 50s;
• A Voorhees man in his 70s;
• Two Cherry Hill women in their 90s;
• A Runnemede woman in her 90s;
• A Haddon Heights woman in her 90s;
• A Camden woman in her 70s;
• A Voorhees woman in her 90s; and
• A Berlin woman in her 70s.

A breakdown of the number of cases by town is available at camdencounty.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 homes
• Group 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 (such as State Park Police and Conservation officers, Palisades Interstate Parkway officers, Human Services police, and NJ Transit police)
• Investigator, parole and secured facilities officers
• Aeronautical operations specialists
• Sworn federal law enforcement officers and special agents
• Bi-state law enforcement officers (such as the 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 (such as the 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.

Who is eligible for vaccination next?

• Additional frontline essential workers (Phase 1B)
• Other essential workers and people living in congregate settings (Phase 1C)
• General population (Phase 2)

This group was designated as 1B, and will likely be next:

• Foodservice workers
• Port Authority workers
• New Jersey Transit workers
• Teachers, staff, and childcare workers
• Workers who support radio, print, internet and television news and media services
• Other critical workers (CISA)
• Other essential workers

This group was originally designated as 1C:

• People living or working in congregate or overcrowded settings — such as colleges and universities
• People living or working in congregate or overcrowded settings — such as migrant workers
• People living or working in congregate or overcrowded settings — other tribal populations
• Other people at high risk of COVID-19 illness due to comorbidities, occupations, demographics, etc.

NOTE: Vaccination phases are tentative and subject to change. The movement between vaccination eligibility phases may be fluid. One phase may overlap with another. Not all individuals in each phase will be vaccinated before opening to additional groups, and not all groups within a specific phase will be made eligible to receive the vaccine at the same time.

An announcement regarding when additional frontline essential workers and individuals at high risk will be eligible for the vaccine under Phase 1B and Phase 1C will be forthcoming, officials said.

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