By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
Residents of Care One at King James rehabilitation and nursing home in Atlantic Highlands anxiously anticipated the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine last week.
The first CareOne facility in the state to have received the vaccine and one of a few care centers in Monmouth County, CareOne at King James vaccinated 144 people over a six-hour period, including employees and residents, with the first of the two Pfizer doses. Vaccines were provided by and administered by CVS, a national chain of drug stores; Care One staff assisted. Recipients were monitored afterward and arrangements were made for the second follow-up vaccination in about 21 days.
In addition to caregivers and other employees at the care center and the residents, the vaccine was also administered to doctors and other in-house support personnel. According to CareOne, the program is managed at the national level and staff is assigned to each clinic for the vaccine administration.
“We only learned two days before Christmas that we would have the vaccine today,” said Meagan Yorks, administrator at CareOne. “However, our staff was ready, our facility had been looking forward to it and the entire day ran smoothly and without any incidents.”
All over the world, the nation, and right here in Monmouth County, worried residents are waiting for their chance to roll up their sleeves and take the injection that will allow them and others to feel safer and breathe a little easier.
But getting the vaccine into the arms of New Jerseyans is no easy task.
According to the state’s website, covid19.nj.gov, New Jersey is rolling out COVID-19 vaccines to serve all adults who live, work or are being educated in the state. The goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population – or 4.7 million adults – within six months.
Currently, vaccines are available to those who are in category 1A which includes those in health care settings who are in the line of fire and could have direct or indirect exposure to virus-infected patients, as well as residents and staff of long-term congregate settings. They include: hospital and home care workers, morticians, dental office workers, EMS personnel, staff at prisons and long-term facilities, just to name a few.
At a press conference Tuesday Thomas A. Arnone, Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners director, announced the roll out of the Mobile Command Center to begin 1A vaccinations in accordance with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) phases for prioritizing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Arnone spoke at the Middletown Fire Department, where nurses and health care professionals awaited the first of the appointments.
In addition to the Middletown location, vaccinations took place at the Shore Area Communications Center in Neptune Jan. 6 and at I-Play America Event Center in Freehold Jan. 7 and the Monmouth County Health Department in Freehold Borough.
“With the help of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the county plans to inoculate four days per week, with sites in four towns,” said Arnone, who was getting used to the newly instituted title of “commissioner” instead of “freeholder” during the press conference. “There will be 50 vaccines administered, strictly by appointment only, at each site. No walk-ins will be accepted.”
Currently, all appointments are already booked. When more appointments become available, the request form will be posted on visitmonmouth.com.
“License, certification of documentation will need to be provided at the time of the appointment to be inoculated in order to prove their status under Phase 1A,” said Arnone. “Monmouth County has been receiving 500 vaccines per week, for the last three weeks, with no guarantee of future deliveries at this time. The remaining schedule for vaccinating Phase 1A is forthcoming.”
“I don’t want our residents to feel like we are letting them down, but we don’t have control over how many vaccines we receive or when we receive them,” Arnone said. “What I can promise is that we will work tirelessly to distribute all vaccines as soon as they are received by the state and advocate for more vaccines to be given to Monmouth County residents.”
According to the state, once vaccine availability expands, vaccination will advance to Phase 1B, then Phase 1C, and then Phase 2.
Phase 1B will include frontline essential workers and other high risk groups.
Phase 1C will include other essential workers, adults 65 and over, and persons aged 16-64 with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 as defined by the CDC.
Following these phases, the general public (Phase 2) will be eligible for vaccination.
In addition, ShopRite announced 39 select pharmacies in New Jersey are set to administer COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers as part of its partnership with the state of New Jersey, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The nearest ShopRite to the Two River area is in Hazlet.
Those who fall into the Phase 1A category can register for a vaccine on the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System now, or by making an appointment at one of the designated sites. If you don’t qualify for Phase 1A, register on the same site and you will be notified when the vaccine is available for you.
For information on the phases as well as how to register, visit covid19.nj.gov.
The article originally appeared in the January 7 – 14, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
