New Jersey Expands Vaccine Eligibility. Call Center Resources Now Available.

Madison, NJ – January 22, 2021 – COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have received Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) by the Food and Drug Administration for administration in the United States. Both vaccines require two doses given 21 or 28 days apart, depending on the vaccine. As of January 21, more than 4.7 million New Jerseyans are eligible to receive the vaccine including: paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials; long-term care residents and staff; sworn police and fire personnel; residents 65 and older; residents between the ages of 16-64 with medical conditions, as defined by CDC, that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus.

Supplies of the vaccine remain limited with only a little more than 100,000 doses reaching New Jersey each week. This means that the availability of appointments will also be limited, even for those eligible, for the foreseeable future. “This is an incredible undertaking,” noted Eric Range, President of the Madison Board of Health. “New Jersey has never tried to deploy this much vaccine this fast ever before. Our partners at the State and County are literally creating systems on the fly. This means that information is constantly changing, adding to the frustration for everyone. We will arrive at our destination but it will not be overnight,” continued Range. 

Madison residents are, for the time being, primarily served by the Morris County Regional Vaccination Site at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall in Rockaway Township. This site is a partnership between the State of New Jersey, Morris County and the Atlantic Health System. As the Madison Health Department is not a vaccination site, staff there cannot make, change or cancel COVID-19 vaccine appointments. In addition to the regional site, there are currently a handful of other vaccine sites serving Morris County residents, with more expected in the coming weeks and months. A full list of vaccine sites can be found online at covid19.nj.gov/vaccine. 

At this time, the Madison Health Department encourages all eligible residents to register online at both the New Jersey Vaccine Schedule System (covid19.nj.gov/vaccine) and via the Atlantic Health Registration Portal for the Morris County Vaccination Site (www.atlantichealth.org). For residents who do not have internet connectivity or ready access to an email account, call centers are now available from both the State (1-855-568-0545) and Morris County (973-829-8250). Updates and local COVID-19 resources can also be found on the Borough website, www.rosenet.org/covid.