At Hudson County COVID-19 Vaccine Site, 94 Percent Of Shots Given

Caren Lissner
Updated ·6 min read

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Hudson County's central vaccination site has administered 94 percent of the COVID-19 vaccinations it has received, a spokeswoman said Friday. spokeswoman. On Friday, the site began vaccinating newly eligible seniors and those with pre-existing conditions, after starting to vaccinate health and essential workers in late December.

The vaccine center in Kearny, available for residents of Hudson County, is overseen by County Executive Tom DeGise’s Vaccine Task Force and operated by the Hudson Regional Health Commission.

Since the site has now administered 94 percent of the vaccines it has received, it has passed the state’s recommended 60 percent threshold by 34 percent.

As of Thursday, New Jersey residents 65 and over, as well as those 16 to 64 with preexisting conditions, became newly eligible to receive the vaccine. Many of the sites in the state are open only to those 18 and up. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Expand COVID Vaccine To NJ Seniors 65 And Older

“Over the past three weeks, the Hudson County Vaccine Task Force has been working around the clock to administer COVID-19 vaccines to our healthcare workers and first responders,” said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. “Because of the dedication and commitment of our frontline heroes, our county-operated vaccination center is surpassing all state goals. We will continue to expand our operations to ensure that every Hudson County resident has access to this lifesaving vaccine when they become eligible.”

By the end of day on Friday, the vaccination center expected to have 2,820 individuals vaccinated in total, with 700 scheduled appointments booked for that day.

Expected to use them up Monday, get more Tuesday

The remaining vaccines Hudson County currently has on hand are scheduled to be administered on Monday. The county anticipates its vaccine stockpile will be replenished on Tuesday.

Within 24 hours of Governor Murphy’s announcement expanding vaccine eligibility on Thursday, 3,500 individuals have requested to be vaccinated at the County's vaccination center.

“The Hudson Regional Health Commission has organized a team of nurses and healthcare professionals to administer over 700 COVID-19 vaccines daily at the County’s Vaccine Distribution Center,” said Executive Director Carrie Nawrocki. “We are committed to using all of the resources at our disposal to administer every vaccine that comes through our doors in a timely manner to keep Hudson County residents safe and healthy.”

Hudson County was the first in New Jersey to open a county-run public vaccination center and began vaccinating individuals within hours of receiving its first shipment. The Vaccine Distribution Center is operating through a collaborative effort with the Hudson Regional Health Commission, the Hudson County Improvement Authority, the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management, County Department of Roads and Public Property, the Hudson County Schools of Technology and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.

The center is open by appointment only and is operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Those currently eligible include doctors and nurses within private practices, dentists, hygienists, community and public health workers, funeral directors, paid and unpaid Emergency Medical Technicians, uniformed police and firefighters, those working in labs with infectious material, individuals over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions.

The center is located at the USS Juneau Center, Office of Emergency Management is located at 110 Hackensack Avenue in Kearny.

For more information or to register and schedule an appointment, please visit hudsoncovidvax.org

Click here for a detailed list of who is eligible for the vaccine right now, and who will be next.

As of Thursday, 11,893 residents of Hudson County had been vaccinated at various sites, the state said.

List of local vaccination sites

Here is the list of Hudson County vaccine sites, as of the end of this week. Not all listed vaccination sites have appointments available immediately. The federal supply of vaccine to New Jersey remains limited.

State and national trends

As of Friday, more than 388,000 Americans had died of the virus. (You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map.)

New Jersey had its highest new case total ever from last Wednesday to Thursday, and a daily death toll of 123 people. More than 17,000 across the state have passed away from the virus.

This was the first time New Jersey topped 100 fatalities for three days in a row, since May.

Gov. Phil Murphy said 3,488 people are hospitalized with the virus statewide, 668 on ICU, 469 on ventilators. He also said 459 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospitals and 449 discharged.

OTHER TRENDS

HOW TO GET HELP WITH HEAT, RENT, AND MORE

  • During the State of Emergency in New Jersey, no tenant is permitted to be evicted from their home or apartment for the inability to pay rent. Talk to your local mayor's office if you are experiencing difficulties.

  • The CARES act has made money available to help with rent in each city. More information is here.

  • New Jersey residents can get help with heating and energy bills. Information is here.

  • Various other avenues of relief and benefits have also been made available, including family leave for 12 weeks if you can't work due to your child's school or camp being closed, and changes to unemployment rules to help those who were at a job for a short time, or freelancing.

LONG-TERM CARE

  • Recently, there were 159 long term care facilities with active outbreaks, the state Department of Health said last month. The state announced that deaths at the facilities had more than doubled since May 1.

  • New Jersey residents became alarmed at the high number of residents who have passed away in nursing homes, rehabs, and similar facilities. The state announced plans in May to increase testing at some long term care facilities.

  • The state released death toll statistics in spring for long-term care facilities like rehabs and nursing homes. See the list here.

  • You can report problems with long term care facilities here, or if you suspect coronavirus related misconduct, here.

  • Some New Jersey long-term care facilities reopened for limited visits, with precautions, in July.

  • Facilities began receiving the coronavirus vaccine in December and January, starting with a long-term care home in Old Bridge in December. Read about one Summit nursing home vaccinating residents and staff here.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

  • NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/

  • General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1

  • NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.

This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch