Camden County Opens COVID Vaccine Site In Gloucester Township

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Saying getting vaccinated is the “last step in the war” against the coronavirus, Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. announced that the vaccination site at Camden County College is now open.

The announcement came on the same day that 182 new cases and 18 new deaths related to the virus were announced in Camden County. As of Wednesday, 32,360 residents have tested positive and 833 have died since the pandemic began. Trace investigations are underway in all new cases.

The site, located in the Papiano Gym on the college campus in Blackwood, opened Wednesday with “enough doses to get us started,” Cappelli said during a news conference Wednesday morning. The county hopes to have 6,000 doses by the end of the week, and to vaccinate about 500 people a day.

“We all want to see an end to this pandemic and the more people who are vaccinated, the quicker we will see a return to the lives we used to know. For the first time since March there is light on the horizon,” Cappelli said. “This is an unprecedented vaccination effort that takes significant logistics and coordination to get the vaccine to everyone who wants it. The State of New Jersey ultimately determines the number of doses available and the timing about who is eligible to receive them. Nevertheless, getting this vaccine out to the public is one of the most important duties we have to protect the health and welfare of our residents, and we are going to do everything possible to achieve that objective at Camden County College and hopefully other locations soon.”

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The four-lane vaccination site will be open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be 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.

Vaccinations will continue as long as doses continue to come in from the state and federal governments. The county will also look to add vaccination sites, but will need greater doses of the vaccine before it can.

The following information is known about the most recent deaths in Camden County:


  • Two Cherry Hill women in their 90s;

  • A Camden woman in her 40s;

  • Three Camden women in their 60s;

  • A Cherry Hill man in his 70s;

  • A Cherry Hill man in his 80s;

  • A Haddon Township woman in her 90s;

  • A Voorhees woman in her 80s;

  • A Winslow woman in her 80s;

  • A Haddon Township woman older than 100;

  • A Collingswood man in his 90s;

  • A Berlin Township man in his 50s;

  • A Mount Ephraim woman in her 80s;

  • A Pennsauken woman in her 60s;

  • A Gloucester City man in his 70s; and

  • A Camden woman in her 80s.


As of Wednesday, more than 13,000 Camden County residents had already been vaccinated through Cooper, Virtua, and Jefferson hospitals, Rowan Medicine, ShopRite pharmacies in Chews Landing and Berlin, and the county's 56 long-term care facilities, according to officials.

The Camden County College site is following the state’s phasing plan, in which individuals are vaccinated in groups. On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that Phase 1A will now include seniors over the age of 65 and others with medical conditions. Read more here: Gov. Murphy Expands NJ COVID Vaccine To 65 And Older, Others

Camden County Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher described the site as “a large center with plenty of spacing.”

“There will be security throughout the campus to make sure everyone has an appointment,” Lasher said. “It will have a secure entrance. When you arrive, you will have your temperature checked and undergo a health screening.”

This is followed by a sign-in, in which registered applicants getting their first shot will be registered to receive a second dose. They will then get vaccinated in a process Lesher compared to receiving a flu shot. After the shot, residents will wait in an observation area for 15-30 minutes before being allowed to leave. She said the whole process will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

“Cooper is committed to working with state and local officials to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one in the Southern New Jersey region as we enter a new phase of vaccine distribution and battling this pandemic,” Cooper co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd said in a release issued after the news conference.

“Just as we have been committed to providing testing and caring for those afflicted with COVID-19, Cooper is focused on protecting the community by educating and encouraging people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and ensuring an effective vaccination program,” Cooper co-CEO Anthony J. Mazzarelli said.

Jefferson Health — New Jersey has also provided support and logistics to the vaccination site and has been a valued partner in this mission to provide access to the vaccine. The healthcare system has also played a key role in providing testing and medical professionals to the county over the course of the pandemic.

“Jefferson Health is pleased to be able to partner with Camden County in this important vaccination program,” Jefferson Health President Brian Sweeney said. “Since the start of the pandemic, we have worked closely with Camden County through the establishment and staffing of various testing sites. Now, we are excited to provide staffing and support for this new vaccination program. Vaccination is our best protection against COVID-19, and we are honored to do all we can to help frontline healthcare workers — and eventually, members of the public — receive this vaccine.”

“This is the largest public health mass mobilization event in our lifetimes, and our medical student volunteers are ready and willing to do their part,” Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Dean Annette C. Reboli said. “Nearly 200 students have already received training in all aspects of operating a clinic, from registration, to administering vaccines, to post-vaccination monitoring. Their engagement is remarkable.”

The Rutgers-Camden Nursing School has been a vital piece to the foundation of the vaccine site.

“Nurses have always been at the front lines of every crisis, and never have we needed a dedicated and knowledgeable corps of nurses more than we do today,” Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden Dean Donna Nickitas said. “The Rutgers–Camden nursing school is proud that more than 350 of our students will join Rutgers faculty and alumni to be trained in — and then actually implement — the delivery of vaccinations to our South Jersey families and neighbors.”

Here is the prioritization order for receiving the vaccine:

Phase 1A: Healthcare personnel

  • Hospital

  • LTC workers

  • Veteran's home workers

  • Home care workers

  • Ambulatory and urgent care

  • clinic workers

  • Dialysis center workers

  • Dental office workers

  • Morticians and funeral home workers

  • Pharmacy workers

  • Other non-hospital healthcare facilities workers

  • Public health workers (such as those as federally qualified health centers)

  • Group home workers

  • Other paid and unpaid licensed and unlicensed healthcare workers

  • EMS personnel

  • Other healthcare settings

Phase 1A: Long-term care residents

  • Long-term care facilities

  • Veterans' homes

  • Correctional facilities, prisons, juvenile centers, county jail

  • IDD group homes

  • Mental health group homes

  • Psychiatric hospitals

  • Other long-term care settings

Phase 1B: Other essential workers

  • Food-service 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

  • Other essential workers

Phase 1C: People at high-risk of COVID-19 illness

  • People at all ages with comorbid and underlying conditions that put them at high risk of COVID-19 (such as, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, immuno-compromised, sickle cell disease)

  • 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

  • Tribal populations

  • Other people at high risk of COVID-19 illness due to comorbidities, occupations, demographics, etc.

Phase 1C: Elderly

  • People over 65

Phase 2

  • General public

New Jersey's COVID-19 vaccination program aims to:

  • Provide equitable access to all who live, work, and/or are educated in New Jersey

  • Achieve community protection, assuming vaccine effectiveness, availability and uptake

  • Build sustainable trust in COVID-19 and other vaccines

The state's goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population — or 4.7 million adults — within six months.

Gov. Phil Murphy said New Jersey is also developing a vaccine portal that will keep track of the immunization program. Registration for the vaccination has begun, and the current link (found here) from the state Department of Health is available.

This article originally appeared on the Gloucester Township Patch