More Details As Brookdale Opens As Coronavirus Vaccine Site

Carly Baldwin
Updated ·4 min read

LINCROFT, NJ — More details have been revealed Friday as The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners officially announced a partnership to open a coronavirus vaccine site Brookdale Community College.

The vaccines will be given out in the Robert J. Collins Arena. The site will be run by Monmouth Medical Center, part of RWJBarnabas Health.

Monmouth County was receiving only 500 vaccines per week, but the County was informed that, beginning next week Jan. 25, the county will receive 2,500 vaccines per week.

Of the 2,500, 2,000 vaccines will be administered at the Brookdale site over five days per week. The other 500 will be administered at the Monmouth County Agriculture Building in Freehold. All vaccines will be administered by appointment only. No walk-ins will be accepted.

The Brookdale site will be open five days per week, including Saturday, and offer later hours on Mondays. The hours, which are subject to change, will be as follows: Monday from 1-6 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

As of Jan. 22, Director Arnone said the Brookdale site is currently open to everyone — not just Monmouth County residents — but that is subject to change. For example, just on Friday, the Ocean County-run site said it will change to only be open to Ocean County residents and will start requiring ID to prove Ocean County residency.

The Freehold site will continue to operate five days per week, Monday through Friday, and the times will vary based on vaccine availability.

“These hours are subject to change and likely will as the number of vaccines we receive and guidelines continue to change,” said Monmouth Commissioner Director Tom Arnone. “Initially, we will be scheduling individuals from the County’s waiting list, which currently has more than 11,000 names on it, until our new registration system is ready to go live.”

Residents who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can go to the County’s website at www.visitmonmouth.com and use the Monmouth County COVID-19 Vaccine Waitlist to be placed on the waitlist for an appointment for a vaccine.

Remember, as of Friday, Jan. 22, there are currently 11,000 names on that county wait list, so the county asks that you please be patient.

Here's a press conference as Monmouth County elected officials answer all the questions from the media about the Brookdale site: https://www.facebook.com/watch...

Those interested in volunteering can call the Monmouth County Health Department Phone Bank at 732-845-2070 or email MonmouthCOVID19@visitmonmouth.com.

“I am very excited to announce the County’s partnership with Brookdale and Monmouth Medical Center to provide this vaccination site for our residents,” said Arnone. “We know that the rollout of the vaccine has been a frustrating process for everyone, but especially for our vulnerable residents who are seeking the vaccine. Unfortunately, we had been receiving an extremely limited amount of vaccinations and have not been able to meet the demand due to the insufficient supply received from the state. We have been advocating tirelessly for more vaccines for Monmouth County since the beginning and we will continue to seek more vaccines.”

"We are thankful for the opportunity to work alongside Monmouth County and Brookdale Community College to help ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely available,” said Eric Carney, President and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus.

Read: Ocean County COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Rules Tightened (Jan. 22)

Currently, in New Jersey, vaccines are available to healthcare personnel, long-term care residents and staff, first responders, individuals ages 65 and older as well as individuals ages 16-64 with medical conditions, as defined by the CDC. 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

  • Severe Obesity

  • Sickle cell disease

  • Smoking

  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus

The next Phase to be vaccinated will be the remainder of the essential workers and the general population.

Monmouth County does not know when New Jersey Department of Health will allow for the next Phase to begin receiving vaccines.

“While we do not have control over how many vaccines we receive or when we receive them, 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. “I would also like to take this opportunity to ask for volunteers. We are looking for volunteers to give vaccinations and to work registration."

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This article originally appeared on the Middletown Patch