Essex County Coronavirus Vaccine Update: How, Where To Get A Shot – Patch.com

This article was updated on Feb. 19

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ —New Jersey keeps expanding the number of its available COVID-19 vaccination sites, with new locations recently added to the state’s ever-evolving list.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the state plans to increase the number of vaccination sites beyond 300. State officials have said the goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population by the spring.

In Essex County alone, there are more than 30 places to get a vaccine if you qualify. Supply shortages have limited the number of people who can get a shot, however, and demand is far outpacing the available doses – a nationwide issue.

Currently, people older than 65 can get a vaccine, as well as those from 16 to 64 who have medical conditions that place them at high risk. Frontline health care workers, police and fire professionals, and some other residents are also able to get a vaccination. Read More: NJ Expands COVID Vaccine To 65 & Older, Those With Medical Issues

Find out if you qualify by going here.

WHERE CAN I GET VACCINATED IN ESSEX COUNTY?

There are several locations where eligible Essex County residents can get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Essex County is running five vaccination sites in Livingston, Newark, West Caldwell and West Orange.

Each location only serves residents of certain towns (see below). However, people who live in Newark can go to any of the sites.

LIVINGSTON

  • Where – Livingston Mall, former Sears building, 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston (Entrance is in the back).
  • Towns Served – Livingston, Belleville, Maplewood, Millburn, Newark, Orange and South Orange

NEWARK – ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE

  • Where – Essex County College, 303 University Avenue, Newark (Gym entrance on West Market Street)
  • Towns Served – Newark, East Orange and Irvington

NEWARK – DONALD PAYNE SCHOOL

  • Where – Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology, 498-544 West Market Street, Newark
  • Towns Served – Newark, East Orange and Irvington

WEST CALDWELL

  • Where – Essex County West Caldwell School of Technology, 620 Passaic Avenue, West Caldwell
  • Towns Served – West Caldwell, Bloomfield, Caldwell, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Newark, North Caldwell and Roseland

WEST ORANGE

  • Where – Former Kmart building, 235 Prospect Avenue, West Orange
  • Towns Served – West Orange, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Montclair, Newark, Nutley and Verona

Here’s how it works, county officials say:

“When vaccinations are available, the sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can make appointments at www.EssexCOVID.org or by calling 973-877-8456. Appointments only can be made after the county receives the vaccines. Vaccinations will be given in two doses. Residents making reservations to receive the vaccination will receive two appointments. It is critical that residents attend both appointments. Residents will be asked to provide their medical insurance information and their insurance provider will be billed $16.94 for the first dose and $28.39 for the second dose. If a resident does not have insurance, the cost of the vaccine will be covered by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provide Relief Fund. There will be no out-of-pocket expenses charged to residents.”

Here’s what to expect, county officials say:

“Each vaccination site is set up in a similar fashion. Residents entering the site will first be pre-screened to verify they have an appointment. Those who do not have an appointment will not be allowed to receive the vaccine that day. Residents will then proceed to a registration table where they will be provided with their paperwork for their visit and receive a card to remind them about their second appointment. After being inoculated with the vaccine, residents will be required to wait 15 minutes while they are monitored for any side effects. Social distancing guidelines will be followed at every site and areas will be sanitized on a regular basis throughout the day.”

New Jersey has also cleared the way for other vaccination sites across the state, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, supermarkets and doctor’s offices. Some are accepting appointments, but others are not. People can visit COVIDvaccine.nj.gov to preregister.

The list currently includes:

Belleville

  • Clara Maass Medical Center, 1 Clara Maass Drive / rwjbh.org/covid19vaccine
  • Riverside Medical Group, 195 Cortlandt St., (973) 759-1221

Bloomfield

  • Riverside Urgent Care , 135 Bloomfield Ave., (973) 748-7459

East Orange

Irvington

Livingston

Montclair

Newark

Nutley

  • Nutley Health Department Adult Clinic, 149 Chestnut Street, 973-877-8456
  • Riverside Medical Group, 228 Franklin Avenue / riversidemedgroup.com

Orange

  • Newark Community Health Center – Orange, 37 North Day Street, Floor 3, (973) 323-3669 / nchcfqhc.org/

Verona

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

New Jersey is rolling out its vaccines in phases. An exact timeline hasn’t been made available.

Vaccination is voluntary; nobody is required to get a shot.

Here’s how state officials originally described the eligibility list:

  • In Phase 1A, only frontline health care workers in close contact with the virus were cleared to get a vaccination. Certain vulnerable populations such as nursing home residents and prison inmates were also able to get a shot.
  • In the first part of Phase 1B, police and firefighters were cleared to get their shots. When the second part of Phase 1B kicks in, other essential employees such as teachers, food service workers and truckers, as well as people over 75-years-old, will be eligible to get a vaccination.
  • In Phase 1C, the list will expand to other essential employees who work in “overcrowded settings” such as colleges, adults 65 to 74, and people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19.
  • In Phase 2 of the rollout, anyone in the general public will be able to get a vaccination.

However, New Jersey took a detour from its distribution plan on Jan. 14. Now the list includes seniors over 65 and people between 16 and 64 with medical conditions that put them at risk from the virus (a group that was originally in Phase 1C.)

Eligible conditions include:

  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • COPD
  • Down syndrome
  • Heart conditions
  • Obesity
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Individuals who are pregnant
  • Those in an immunocompromised state and a weakened immune system because of issues such as an organ transplant

VACCINATIONS IN ESSEX COUNTY: A BRIEF BACKGROUND

The first COVID-19 vaccinations in New Jersey were given to workers at University Hospital in Newark, with cameras rolling and Gov. Phil Murphy in attendance.

Officials have been sharing photos from the five Essex County vaccination sites, which are being run by health care professionals and bolstered by volunteers, who are eligible to get a vaccination from the virus in return.

Several local health care workers, emergency responders and elected officials have reported that they got their shots.

Retirement and nursing home residents throughout the county have also been getting vaccinated.

In January, many of those who previously got their first shots received follow-up inoculations, a requirement of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

In late January, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Newark resident, said Essex County has become a “national model” for getting vaccines “out really quickly and in people’s arms.”

“We’ve created an effective plan for distribution that ensures our residents get both doses of the vaccine,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said, tipping his hat to Booker for the recognition.

Meanwhile, some towns and cities have been stepping in to help fill the gaps.

In Newark, officials plan to create “rotating vaccination locations” throughout the city.

“For the past year, our city has been fighting against COVID-19 and our community now has access to the vaccine geared to help give us greater protection from the disease,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

In North Caldwell and West Caldwell, municipal officials have been reaching out to homebound residents who can’t make it to one of the Essex County vaccination sites or any of the others that have been authorized by the state.

“The list will be used by our local health department to coordinate a mobile vaccination plan for all such residents,” North Caldwell police stated.

In East Orange, the city’s Division of Senior Services has been helping local residents register for vaccinations, offering transportation aid to those in need.

The rollout in Essex County hasn’t been without its issues, however, including severe supply and demand conflicts at the county-run vaccination sites.

DiVincenzo offered an update on the process on Jan. 18. He wrote:

“We have experienced an extremely high demand from people who want the vaccine and have hit a few bumps in the road. In response, we are continuing to monitor our website, make updates as information and eligible groups change, and tweak our system to improve user experience. We are the only county in the state to have a call center to respond to questions and help those who don’t have access to a computer. During these early stages, through no fault of our own, we have experienced network and equipment failure. We are working through these issues and added staff so we can respond to the thousands of calls coming in.”

DiVincenzo continued:

“Unfortunately, the number of people who want the shot far exceeds the doses we have or are scheduled to receive. Because of this, appointments fill up fast and availability is limited. We ask for your patience and understanding that it may take time before everyone can make an appointment. This is not unique to Essex County -This is occurring across the country. We are in constant communication with Governor Phil Murphy and the Department of Health and have requested that more doses be sent to Essex County. While the governor and his staff have been supportive of our efforts, they are experiencing the some supply shortages as we are. The problem exists because of distribution delays by the federal government.”

Some residents have begun posting about “working the system” on the county’s vaccination website to get earlier appointments, earning a plea for “honesty” from DiVincenzo.

“Some zip codes have more availability because they are in some of our most vulnerable areas,” he said. “We encourage residents to be honest and truthful on our website to ensure that the system remains fair for all of our residents.”

Other Essex County residents have been pushing for teachers and school staff to get placed on the eligibility list.

Have YOU gotten a COVID-19 vaccination in Essex County? Let us know how it went — leave a comment below!

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