By: Michael Mandarino, Follow South Jersey Managing Editor
SOUTH JERSEY — New Jersey once again administered 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in a week, pushing its total above the 4,000,000 milestone.
According to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, 4,030,061 doses have now been administered throughout the week. Of those, 1,473,410 were patients’ second doses or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson model, which means that those residents are fully vaccinated against the pandemic. The state set a goal to vaccinate 4.7 million individuals by the end of May when it began its vaccine rollout in December 2020.
With Monday’s update to the COVID-19 dashboard, New Jersey has now administered at least 500,000 vaccine doses in four consecutive weeks. The state recently announced further expansion to the vaccine eligibility list to include all residents older than the age of 55 that will take effect on April 5. Individuals aged 16 and older with intellectual disabilities, higher education instructors & support staff, members of the press, retail financial institution workers, and utility workers are among those who will be eligible to get vaccinated in New Jersey beginning next week.
Today, New Jerseyans who fall into one of the following categories are officially eligible to get vaccinated:
- Food production, agriculture, and food distribution
- Eldercare and support
- Warehousing and logistics
- Social services support staff
- Elections personnel
- Hospitality
- Medical supply chain
- Postal and shipping services
- Clergy
- Judicial system
As some elderly residents who have been eligible for months still struggle to make vaccine appointments, local officials in Cumberland and Atlantic counties have taken action to ensure they get their shots as soon as possible.
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