COUNTY OF BERGEN COVID VACCINE UPDATE

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on the way for category 1A healthcare workers

HACKENSACK, N.J. – County Executive Jim Tedesco announces that the County of Bergen in partnership with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center anticipates the arrival of 1000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine within the next week. The CDC and State DOH have established the priority of vaccine recipients and these doses will serve Bergen County category 1A healthcare workers who have not received the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine through their employer or the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care (LTC) Program administered through CVS and Walgreens. Last week, all five Bergen County hospitals received shipments of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

With the arrival of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, all Bergen County category 1A healthcare workers will now be eligible for vaccination. They include any paid or unpaid person working or volunteering in a “healthcare setting” who may have direct or indirect contact with infectious persons or materials. In coordination with the State DOH, Bergen County will soon announce the designated registration process for category 1A healthcare workers.

The County’s Annex Alternative Care Facility, a field hospital wing constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers with help from FEMA earlier this year on the campus of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, will serve as the vaccine distribution site. The facility has the capacity to handle over 300 vaccinations per day, which qualifies as a “large” Point of Dispensing (POD) location for the State of New Jersey. Bergen New Bridge Medical Center recently received designation from the State DOH to serve as one of the first “initial distribution points” in New Jersey for the Moderna vaccine.

“It is essential that those on the frontlines in our fight against the virus receive the vaccine as fast as humanly possible,” said Bergen County Executive Tedesco. “With the arrival of Moderna’s vaccine, we now have the ability to provide protection to more of Bergen County’s critical healthcare workforce through a partnership between the County and Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.”

“We are proud to partner with our County Executive and the County of Bergen to provide a vaccination program for healthcare employees and, as vaccine distribution rolls out, to our communities,” said Bergen New Bridge President Deborah Visconi. “Vaccination is a critical component to protecting our communities, particularly those that have been most impacted by COVID-19, while giving us a path out of this pandemic.”

“The availability of this vaccine is a game changer. This roll out is going to generate a lot of excitement and interest,” said Freeholder Chairwoman Mary Amoroso. “We are doing everything we can to get this out as quickly and safely as possible. We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding.”

Classification for category 1A healthcare workers include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, any other licensed or registered health professionals, staff in areas of facility management, security, food services, environmental services, administrative services, human resources, reception, language services, information technology, laboratory, other support areas, community health workers/promoters, doulas, health educators, public health professionals, trainees, students, volunteers, essential caregivers, vaccinating site staff, contractors, emergency medical services (EMS), paramedics, funeral staff, mortuary staff, and autopsy workers.

COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be rolled out in phases and the County of Bergen in partnership with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center will continue to work closely with federal, state and local partners. The County and Bergen New Bridge anticipate the Annex Alternative Care Facility will be able to accommodate the 1B category of essential workers before moving to the 1C category of adults 65+ with high-risk medical conditions. The County of Bergen is also committed to continue offering COVID-19 testing as long as it is needed. Please look out for a forthcoming announcement regarding January testing dates.

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