Bergen New Bridge To Offer COVID-19 Booster Shots

PARAMUS, NJ — Bergen County residents will now have access to COVID-19 booster shots locally, beginning next week.

The County, in partnership with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, will be again administering doses of the Pfizer vaccine to people that meet one of four criteria on Monday, officials announced.

Those who qualify for a booster shot include:

• Those over 65
• Long term care facility residents at least six months after they were fully vaccinated
• Healthcare workers, teachers, and other workers at risk
• Those age 50-64 with underlying medical conditions according to the eligibility guidance provided by the ACIP and CDC.

The Bergen County Vaccination Center also continues to offer all three COVID-19 vaccines to those who have yet to receive a first dose. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is available to anyone age 12 or older and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines are available to anyone age 18 or older.

The Bergen County Vaccination Center is located on the campus of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, 230 E Ridgewood Ave., in Paramus. Vaccinations will be offered Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for three groups:

• individuals 65 years of age and older;
• individuals 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe COVID-19; and
• individuals 18 through 64 years of age whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19 including severe COVID-19.

However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky overruled that decision on Friday, recommending that healthcare workers, teachers, and other workers at risk be added to the approved list, according to the New York Times.

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