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COVID-19 vaccines

New Jersey Takes First Step Towards Ending COVID-19 Pandemic with Vaccine Rollout

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

New Jersey has started administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to frontline healthcare workers, with Maritza Beniquez, a 56-year-old emergency room nurse, becoming the first New Jerseyan to receive the vaccine. The vaccine, developed by Pfizer through a partnership with BioNTech, requires two shots and is expected to vaccinate 38,000 people with the initial 76,000 doses. Despite the vaccine rollout, cases in New Jersey are still on the rise, with 4,111 new cases reported on Tuesday. The state predicts it will take one million doses of a two-dose vaccine to fully inoculate its healthcare workers and has outlined a multi-phase distribution plan.

Key Takeaways:

  • New Jersey has begun administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to frontline healthcare workers, with Maritza Beniquez, a 56-year-old emergency room nurse, receiving the first dose.
  • The vaccine requires two shots, with an initial shot and a booster shot three weeks later, and will vaccinate 38,000 people with the initial 76,000 doses.
  • Despite the vaccine rollout, cases in New Jersey are still on the rise, with 4,111 new cases reported on Tuesday.
  • The state predicts it will take one million doses of a two-dose vaccine to fully inoculate its healthcare workers.
  • The state has outlined a multi-phase distribution plan, with essential workers, individuals at higher risk of serious COVID-19 infection, and healthcare workers in phase one.
  • Phase two will include critical populations, such as colleges and universities, and the general population, but the state has yet to provide an estimate of when this phase will begin.
  • Seton Hall's Health Intervention Communication Team has warned students that they may not be vaccinated for "many weeks" and to stay vigilant during the pandemic.

Sources:

  • Edwin J. Torres/Flickr
  • [Source removal, as the link is provided in the text]
  • "As more vaccine shipments arrive, our vaccination program will become much more robust over the coming weeks," Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted Tuesday.
  • Maritza Beniquez (right) becomes the first New Jerseyan to receive Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. (Edwin J. Torres/Flickr).
  • The vaccine, developed by Pfizer through a partnership with the German-based company BioNTech.
  • The FDA will meet to discuss approving another vaccine candidate, developed by Moderna, for emergency use authorization on Thursday.
  • "Today is a day worth celebrating," Murphy tweeted just before the first vaccination Tuesday.
  • "No one should be mistaken that we are still in for several hard months."
  • According to New Jersey's interim COVID-19 vaccination plan, released in October, the state predicts it will take one million doses of a two-dose vaccine, like Pfizer's, to fully innoculate the state's healthcare workers.
  • Essential workers, such as first responders and educators, as well as individuals at higher risk of serious COVID-19 infection are also included in phase one distribution.
  • When there is a "large amount" of supply available, the state will then shift to phase two of its vaccine distribution and will include individuals remaining from phase one as well as "critical populations," a group that includes colleges and universities.
  • The general population -- which consists of all individuals who live, work or are educated in the state -- will also be included in stage two.
  • Phase three of the rollout will begin as the demand for the vaccine begins to wane and will cover the remaining individuals from phase two.
  • The Seton Hall Health Intervention Communication Team's email to students said, "The vaccine news is very encouraging... Please do not fall victim to pandemic fatigue. Follow the Seton Hall Pledge. We need to stay strong, together, through the cold, pre-vaccination months ahead."

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