NJ Expands Vaccine Eligibility

New Jersey is expanding vaccine eligibility, making thousands of state residents now available for the shots.

The state is expecting 70,000 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to arrive this week.

Starting March 15, child care workers, elementary and high school teachers and staff, public transit workers, people living in shelters and more public safety workers will be able to be vaccinated.

Starting March 29th, frontline essential workers will be eligible for vaccination. Those employed as grocery personnel, warehouse personnel, social services workers, postal workers, judges and court personnel, and clergy will be eligible for vaccination.

New Jersey currently vaccinates all adults 65 and older, nursing home residents, adults with disabilities and pre-existing conditions, and healthcare workers.

Some counties have gone further and expanded eligibility to already include teachers.

“We’re going to begin in sort of phases to open up our eligibility to a lot more communities, especially essential workers, and at the head of that list will be educators and folks in day care,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during a media interview on Monday.

New Jersey has distributed 1.9 million vaccine doses to state residents and workers as of March 1.

Maury Litwack, Executive Director of Teach Coalition, applauded the inclusion of teachers, telling Hamodia, “This is an example of what happens when the community rallies around one message and makes its voice heard. Schools, teachers, and concerned parents all played a critical role in making sure the state understood how important vaccinations are so our schools can remain open in a safe manner.”

___

smarcus@hamodia.com