Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the Hoboken Health Department today began the City’s senior vaccination program at Hoboken University Medical Center. Hoboken residents Richard Tremitiedi, Hoboken’s former Fire Chief, and 98-year-old breast cancer survivor Antoinette Miller became two of the first seniors in the State of New Jersey to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this morning. Over 50 seniors were vaccinated today, with 125 anticipated to be vaccinated by Saturday through Hoboken’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines. Hoboken is one of only a select few municipalities or counties in New Jersey to begin vaccinating seniors on the first day of eligibility.

“I’m extremely proud that Hoboken is one of the first communities in New Jersey to begin vaccinating our seniors,” said Mayor Bhalla. “We are moving as quickly and efficiently as possible, to protect our elderly population and save lives. I encourage all seniors to sign-up on our pre-registration form to receive the vaccine, which has been proven to be safe and effective by medical experts. Thank you to Director Leo Pellegrini, Chief REHS Lynette Medeiros, the Hoboken Health Department and Hoboken University Medical Center for opening up the vaccine distribution site today on the first day of senior eligibility.”

“I’m extremely thankful to receive one of Hoboken’s first vaccines for seniors,” said Mr. Tremitiedi. “As a former fire chief, I know what it takes to keep people safe, and I can assure my friends in the senior community – the vaccine is in fact safe, and will protect us from the deadly virus. It has never been more important to get vaccinated, for the sake of our community, and so we can soon return to normal.”

Seniors vaccinated today were provided with a date for a future appointment to receive the second dose of the vaccine.

Earlier this week, Mayor Bhalla and the Health Department initiated a pre-registration form for seniors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in anticipation of an expansion of eligibility for those 65 years of age and older. Over 1,400 seniors signed up through the pre-registration form, which was utilized by the Health Department to schedule appointments. All seniors who signed up on the pre-registration form will be called for an appointment in the coming weeks as the City’s vaccine supply is replenished by the State of New Jersey. The City of Hoboken was provided with 500 vaccines, with the Hoboken Health Department requesting another shipment of vaccines from the State for next week.

Hoboken is still collecting pre-registration sign-ups for seniors, which can be filled out by visiting http://www.hobokennj.gov/seniors and providing the individual’s name, address, date of birth and phone number. All friends and family of seniors can fill out the information on behalf of the senior. Seniors or family and friends can call the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hotline to pre-register by calling 201-420-5621 from 9 am until 2 pm, Monday through Friday.

The City of Hoboken will open up a pre-registration form for Hoboken residents with pre-existing medical conditions, as identified by the State of New Jersey and CDC, on Monday.