This afternoon, Governor Phil Murphy announced an additional 3,791 positive COVID-19 cases, increasing the statewide total to 852,330. An additional 41 deaths were announced, increasing the statewide total to 22,502. As of this morning, 3,694,946 NJ residents have received at least one dose of a vaccination. Vaccine eligibility expands on Monday morning to anyone 16 or older who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey.
On Thursday, Governor Murphy signed an executive order extending the public health emergency in New Jersey for the 14th time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health emergency needs to be extended every 30 days in order to remain in effect.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 2,292,316 fully vaccinated residents. NJ is on track to meet its goal of 4.7 million fully vaccinated residents by June 30th. Please see the vaccine tracker on the NJ COVID-19 Information Hub.
On Tuesday, following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance, the New Jersey Department of Health paused the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Concerns arose after 6 individuals out of nearly 7 million vaccinations experienced a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis - the blood clots have been found in women aged 18 to 48. There are no reports of cases in NJ. Individuals who have received the J&J vaccine experiencing similar symptoms should contact their health care provider immediately. See more here.
The NJDOH will be coordinating with vaccination sites to mitigate the loss in vaccine inventory and reschedule appointments. Some sites have been able to substitute the J&J vaccine and retain the appointments to administer Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Individuals should check their site as J&J only sites will not be able to recoup dosages.
The Governor announced that the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) will be expanding NJ's GetCovered eligibility, through the American Rescue Plan subsidies, which began yesterday. Read more information here.
On Monday, Governor Murphy announced NJ Vaccination Program Rankings Among States as follows:
- 5th in vaccine supply administered
- 7th in daily doses administered
- 9th in percentage of population having received at least one dose
Among seniors, 75.4% over the age of 65 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 74.8% over the age of 75 have received at least one dose.
NJDOH Commissioner, Judy Persichilli, announced there will be a significant decrease in federal allocation of the vaccine in the coming weeks. Last week, NJ received 550,000 doses, this week we received 466,800 doses. The Governor advised NJ residents to take any vaccination they can get.
The Governor mentioned that he anticipates updated guidance on proms and graduations in the coming months dependent upon the number of cases and rate of transmission.
