Monmouth Co. Launches Online Vaccine Scheduling System

MONMOUTH COUNTY - An online system to schedule vaccinations has recently launched, the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners announced Friday. The portal currently allows individuals in Phase 1A as well as police, fire and EMS personnel to book an appointment for vaccination.

Vaccines are currently available in the state to those in Phase 1A (including, but not limited to, hospital, home care and public health workers) as well as sworn law enforcement personnel and fire professionals, according to a news release (see below for the full list of those who fall under the Phase 1A category).

“Starting today, residents who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can go to the County’s website at www.visitmonmouth.com and use the online scheduling system to make their appointment,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone in a statement. “We are going to be administering vaccines four days per week in Freehold Borough and three days per week in other locations in the County in an effort to offer as many per day as possible.”

Monmouth County vaccination locations include sites in Freehold, Middletown and Neptune. Once an appointment request has been made, the Monmouth County Health Department will review the information and confirmation emails will be sent to successful bookings. Click here to access the portal.

“We ask that everyone who is eligible for a vaccine, and does not already have a confirmed appointment, go to the website to schedule their vaccination,” said Commissioner Director Arnone. “Appointment times will be added as the County receives additional vaccines, so if there are none available when you log on, please check back frequently.”

Monmouth County has received 500 vaccines per week for the last three weeks, but has no guarantee of future deliveries. The next individuals to be vaccinated will include the remainder of the essential workers and other high-risk populations.

“Unfortunately, we do not have control over how many vaccines we receive or when we receive them, but we will work tirelessly to distribute all vaccines as soon as they are received by the State and continue to advocate for more vaccines to be given to Monmouth County residents,” said Commissioner Director Arnone.

The governor said Wednesday that police and firefighters need the vaccines because "these are folks who have been just as much been in harm's way as many of our health care workers and they have been often called on for emergency medical support." Read more: NJ Expands COVID-19 Vaccines As State Begins Move Into Next Phase

The state's goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population – or 4.7 million adults – within six months. Murphy said New Jersey is also developing a vaccine portal that will keep track of the immunization program. The site is not fully developed, but it can be found here.

First responders can schedule vaccination appointments at one of 10 Hackensack Meridian Health sites. Read more: Bayshore Medical Center To Offer COVID Vaccines To Police, EMS

On Monday, ShopRite also announced that 39 of their pharmacies have been selected to distribute the vaccine as part of its partnership with the state of New Jersey, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more: 100K In NJ Now Vaccinated For COVID As State Looks To Expand

The specific groups that fall under Phase 1A include:

Healthcare Personnel:

· Hospital
· LTC workers
· Veterans’ 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 (e.g. Federally Qualified Health Centers)
· Group home workers
· Other paid and unpaid licensed and unlicensed healthcare workers
· EMS personnel
· Other healthcare settings

Long-term Care Personnel:

· 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

This article originally appeared on the Howell Patch