By Donald Gilpin

With last week’s expansion of eligibility to millions of additional New Jersey residents, including smokers, anyone from 16 to 64 with a qualifying medical condition, and all people over 65, there are now millions of people waiting to be vaccinated. The vaccine supply, however, continues to be severely limited.

New Jersey has the capacity to administer 470,000 vaccine doses per week, health officials report, but the states depend on delivery from the federal government, and New Jersey received only about 100,000 doses per week last month and anticipates the same number —50,000 doses per week from Pfizer, 50,000 from Moderna — in the coming month.

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) COVID-19 website states: “Due to supply limitations, vaccination appointment availability is extremely limited at this time.”  A number of vaccination sites have reported overwhelming demand and a shortage of doses, and some overbooked sites are currently unable to schedule appointments. The NJDOH states that “there will be more vaccine with each coming week and month. We urge everyone to be patient, understanding everyone’s desire to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

The Princeton Health Department has reported an unusually high volume of calls and emails about the availability of the vaccine, coinciding with the federal government’s acknowledgement that there is a shortage of doses.

“This unfortunate news comes at a time when our state has ramped up efforts to get shots into people’s arms by creating over 300 clinics, mobilizing a substantial vaccination force of volunteers and paid personnel to staff them, only to have those efforts impeded by this unexpected turn of events,” Princeton Press and Media Communications Director Fred Williams wrote in an email.

NJDOH has notified Mercer County that the County will receive 800 doses per week starting next week. Prior to this temporary shortage, the Mercer County Public Health Officers’ Association mobilized a series of clinics that vaccinated many eligible people.

New Jersey residents have been asked by the state to preregister for the vaccine on the state’s COVID-19 website at covid19.nj.gov. Eligible applicants will be notified when it’s time to schedule an appointment, and they will be referred to a list of vaccination sites to make the appointment. State officials have encouraged eligible residents to directly contact COVID-19 sites, which are listed on the state’s website, to schedule appointments. Vaccination sites are not able to accommodate walk-ups.

Williams noted that the Princeton Health Department would announce any local opportunities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, through emails to those on their waitlist, by press release, to local news outlets, and on their website at princetonnj.gov, and on social media pages. People who are preregistered through the state web portal will also be notified of locations to schedule an appointment as appointments become available, he added.

Mercer County will be supporting two regional vaccination sites: one opening in late January or early February at Mercer County Community College managed by County Health Officers Association and one at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton in partnership with Capital Health System beginning January 21. To receive a vaccination at the CURE Arena site pre-registration is required through the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System at covidvaccine.nj.gov.

Penn Medicine Princeton Health in Plainsboro is accepting appointments beginning January 20 with web forms available at princetonhcs.org to request an appointment.  Additional Mercer County sites include the Princeton Health Department on Monument Drive, Hamilton Township Division of Health, Henry J. Austin Health Centers on Ewing Street and on North Warren Street in Trenton, InFocus Urgent Care in Ewing, ShopRite of Hamilton, and ShopRite Pharmacy in Pennington.

Area vaccination mega-sites include the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison and the Moorestown Mall in Burlington County. There are also mega-sites in operation at Rowan College of South Jersey in Gloucester County and at Rockaway Townsquare in Morris County. Additional mega-sites are planned in East Rutherford and Atlantic City to open at a later date.

Information from the Princeton Health Department, reported in last week’s page 1 article, that all staff and residents at Princeton’s long-term health care facilities who wanted a vaccine had received their initial doses, was erroneous. The first COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Brandywine Living Serenade at Princeton (formerly Acorn Glen, recently purchased and renamed by Brandywine Senior Living LLC) will take place on January 26, with first doses available for all residents and employees.   

A second clinic for second doses is scheduled for February 16, and March 9 is the date for a third clinic for any new residents or employees. As of January 19, Serenade at Princeton reported no active cases of COVID-19 among residents or staff.

In a January 15 update, Princeton Care Center reported 16 COVID-19 cases among residents, with one of the residents having been hospitalized on January 14 and the other infected individuals currently in quarantine in accord with Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

Princeton Care Center held its first COVID-19 vaccine clinic on January 5, with first doses for all consenting residents and staff. The next clinic will be on January 26 with the second dose of the vaccine administered to all who received the first dose and the first dose available to those who did not previously receive it. The third vaccine clinic date will be February 16. 

In its January 19 case data update, the Princeton Health Department reported 35 new cases in Princeton in the past seven days and 63 cases in the past 14 days, both totals slightly below the highest seven- and 14-day totals that were recorded in December. There were 45 active positive cases in Princeton on January 19.