Gloucester Twp. Vaccine Site To Honor All Appointments: Officials

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Camden County officials are reminding residents who are nervous about not getting an appointment to receive their coronavirus vaccine not to panic.

“More vaccines will become available,” Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer said during a news conference Thursday afternoon. “You will get your shot.”

In fact, 1,550 residents have already received their first dose of the vaccine at the county’s vaccination site in the Papiano Gym on Camden County College’s Gloucester Township campus, officials said on Thursday.

But there are also about 50,000 other residents who have scheduled appointments to get their shots, and supplies are limited.

In fact, the site just opened last week because the county previously had a difficult time getting the needed doses. Read more here: Lack Of Doses Delays Gloucester Twp. COVID Vaccine Site Opening

But just as the site did eventually open, officials expect that more doses will become available. When that happens, officials said more slots will open up.

“When that happens, we will first ask anyone with existing appointments if they want to move their appointment up,” Dyer said. “After that, the rest of the slots will become open to the public.”

“We will look at high-risk individuals first, and call them about moving their appointment up,” Camden County Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher said.

In response to a question from the public, she said anyone who was able to get an appointment made can give their spot to a high-risk person, such as an older parent, if they wish.

“We are looking out for those who are most vulnerable,” Lasher said. “You can email covid19vaxcenter@camdencounty.com.”

As it stands, the county hopes to receive 6,000 doses of the vaccine a week, and vaccinate about 500 people a day. They also reminded residents there are other places they can get vaccinated as well.

The vaccination site at Camden County College, 200 College Drive in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, is just one of eight coronavirus vaccine sites in Camden County.

More sites will open as more doses become available, officials said. Read more here: Here's Where Camden Co. Vaccine Sites Have Been Announced

Health officials remind residents that until they are vaccinated, and even after they are, they should still follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus, including wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart from one another.

“You should do everything you can to avoid this virus,” Dr. Mark Condoluci of Jefferson Health NJ said. “We’ll all get through this.”

The virus continues to pose a threat for now, though. On Thursday, 248 new cases were reported countywide. As of Friday, there have been 34,436 cases of the coronavirus and 865 deaths caused by the virus in Camden County since the pandemic began.

No new deaths were reported on Thursday, but Dyer said there have been 162 deaths in the last 30 days, the most at any point since March.

“This time one year ago, we were just beginning to hear of COVID-19 making its way into the United States, but we had no idea just how firm its grip on our nation would become in the months that followed,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a prepared statement. “This year too will hold unknown challenges. But, while we are far from the end of this fight, the incredible response I continue to see from our community gives me confidence that we will tackle whatever obstacle we are presented with next, and we will emerge stronger than ever for having done so.”

During the news conference, officials said studies are still being conducted on whether the virus can be spread by those who have been vaccinated.

“If you’ve been vaccinated, and you’re exposed to someone with COVID, you must quarantine still,” Lasher said.

It’s also not clear how much receiving the first dose protects someone. The vaccines become 95 percent effective after the second dose, and anyone who receives the first dose is automatically enrolled to get the second.

Officials reiterated that the vaccines are safe and effective, but there will be side effects. Those include muscle aches, headaches and fatigue, all of which can last up to 72 hours. There may be a fever that lasts up to 24 hours.

See related: Camden County Opens COVID Vaccine Site In Gloucester Township

The 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 Vaccine. 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 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.

This article originally appeared on the Gloucester Township Patch