Health workers and first responders began receiving the Moderna vaccine on Saturday morning at Essex Community College, which is one of five locations in the county where the vaccine is available.
“Receiving the vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel and vaccination will help tremendously in stopping the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. We look forward to this day and have partnered with our mayors, local health officials, public safety officers and emergency management staff to ensure that our sites will be ready and operational as soon as vaccines are received. “I encourage everyone to get the vaccine,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
The first person to receive the vaccine on Saturday morning was a doctor at Essex County Hospital.
“It was important for me as a provider of health care, first of all, the risk to which I could be exposed and, at the same time, the exposure of others, as the county executive said, we must get a certain percentage of the population vaccinated and about 75 to 80% would be a very reasonable number, as we get what is known as herd immunity, “said Dr. Naipaul Rambaran.” Herd immunity will only begin if those on the front lines themselves give an example by administering the vaccine. “
READ ALSO New York’s first COVID vaccine recipients offer health updates
Bonnie Rogers, a school nurse, and Dr. Lionel Anicette, medical director at the Essex County Correctional Center, also received the vaccine on Saturday.
“I’m here for those vulnerable people … this pandemic has exposed a lot of vulnerabilities,” Anicette said.
Modern shot vaccinations began for the first time Thursday at Newark University Hospital. One of the first people to receive the vaccine was the president of the hospital, who says he is feeling well so far.
“We’ve already done over 1,000, we almost reach the allocation of the initial Pfizer stock, which we got, which is about 3,000 doses, and we go like clockwork, because we want to make sure we use the stocks well and that we continue to receive more shipments and vaccinate more people, “said Dr. Shereef Elnahal.
Essex County has set up five vaccination centers. The locations and municipalities served at each site are as follows:
-Essex County College, 303 University Avenue, Newark (entrance to the gym on West Market Street): Newark, East Orange and Irvington.
-Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology, 498-544 West Market Street, Newark: Newark, East Orange and Irvington. (This site will open in January 2021.)
-Former Kmart Building, 235 Prospect Avenue, West Orange: West Orange, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Montclair, Newark, Nutley and Verona.
-Livingston Mall, former Sears Building, 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston (Entrance is back): Livingston, Belleville, Maplewood, Millburn, Newark, Orange and South Orange.
– West Caldwell County School of Technology, 620 Passaic Avenue, West Caldwell: West Caldwell, Bloomfield, Caldwell, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Newark, North Caldwell and Roseland.
New Jersey recorded a positivity rate of up to 13% in the last week.
By the end of next month, New Jersey will receive more than 400,000 doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines combined. Vaccinations begin next week at more than 90 nursing homes across the state.
The state began vaccinating about a week later than New York and Connecticut due to the lack of a federal deadline of up to one day.
READ ALSO Human remains found near the explosion in downtown Nashville, police say
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COATING
COVID Vaccine Calculator: Find out how many people can get a COVID-19 vaccine before you
Do you have symptoms of coronavirus?
Where to get tested for COVID-19 coronavirus
SEE: Eyewitness to a pandemic
update
new York
New Jersey
Long island
Westchester and Hudson Valley
Connecticut
Coronavirus Disease Control and Prevention Centers
Send a news tip
Copyright © 2020 WABC-TV. All rights reserved.