Here’s Where Essex County Sends Its ‘Open, Unused’ COVID Vaccines – Patch.com
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — What happens to “open and unused” COVID-19 vaccines from Essex County’s five vaccination sites? They go to residents at a county-run psychiatric hospital and prison inmates, officials say.
“[On Wednesday] we had five vaccines unused at our Payne School site,” the spokesperson said. “Sheriff’s officers transported them to the facility, and we were able to administer our first vaccines to our residents.”
Open, unused doses are also sent to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, which houses a mix of inmates and federal immigration detainees. Both groups got vaccines on Wednesday, a protocol that will be used moving forward.
The total number of vaccinations provided to both locations wasn’t immediately available.
New Jersey has been rolling out its vaccines in phases, with only certain categories of people eligible to get their shots.
In the first phase of the rollout, the state allowed frontline health care workers to get vaccinated. Additionally, some vulnerable populations without the ability to social distance, such as nursing home residents and prison inmates, qualified to get their shots.
The list has since expanded to include several other groups, such as people over 65, and people between 16 and 64 with medical conditions that put them at high risk from the disease. Read More: When Can You Get COVID-19 Vaccine In NJ? Here’s The New 2021 List
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines both have strict storage requirements and expiration dates (learn more here).
Starting TOMORROW, January 14, COVID-19 vaccine will be available to:residents ages 65 years and older residents between 16 and 64 years of age with certain medical conditions Learn more
https://t.co/eQwnEmWYDC pic.twitter.com/iGKQygpf82
— NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) January 13, 2021
Let’s not fall down a rabbit hole of breaking people down in categories of Job A versus Job B and who is more politically favorable to vaccinate. The correct comparison is: Are you more vulnerable to a severe case of this virus or are you not more vulnerable?
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy)
COVID VACCINE IN ESSEX COUNTY
Catch up on some recent stories about COVID-19 vaccination in Essex County below.
Essex County Is Averaging 1,000 COVID Vaccinations Per Day
Thousands of shots have been given at vaccination centers in Livingston, Newark, West Caldwell and West Orange.
Prison Hunger Strikes Continue In NJ As ICE Detainees Fear COVID
A wave of prison hunger strikes in New Jersey has spread to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark.
Nearly 1,000 In West Orange Have Gotten COVID Vaccine, Mayor Says
There are an estimated 47,563 people living in West Orange. Nearly 1,000 have gotten a COVID-19 vaccination.
98% Of Residents At West Caldwell Senior Home Get COVID Vaccine
Hundreds of staff members and residents at a senior living facility in West Caldwell opted for a COVID-19 vaccination.
Bloomfield Mayor Says Get COVID-19 Vaccine If You Qualify
Mayor: “The vaccine is safe and is free of charge whether you have health insurance or not.”
East Orange Retirement Home Gets COVID-19 Vaccines
“While the vaccine is not a panacea, it is an important step towards making our community healthy and safe.”
Virtual Meeting In Livingston On COVID-19, Vaccines: WATCH
Livingston town officials held a virtual panel discussion on the coronavirus and the COVID-19 vaccine.
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