COVID vaccine: NJ plans to start inoculating health care workers in mid-December

Lindy Washburn
NorthJersey.com

New Jersey expects to receive enough doses of Pfizer's new COVID vaccine to inject 130,000 people by the end of December, and expects to get 100,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to inject 100,000 more residents shortly after that.  

But that will protect fewer than half of those in the top priority group identified by the state Health Department: health care workers. So how will the state decide who gets the first vaccines?

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Monday that a professional advisory committee has given the governor's office its framework for review, with details to be released before the first vaccines arrive. Its recommendations "are based on equity, justice and ethical considerations" about the vulnerability of individuals, based in part on where they live.

The shortage should abate by the end of January, when the state expects to start receiving a rolling average of 1.1 million doses monthly, Persichilli said. By April or early May, there should be sufficient supply "to meet the overall general population demand." 

"We are ready to move forward as soon as these vaccines get to us," Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.

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Not a moment should be lost during the transition from President Donald Trump's administration to the new administration of Joseph Biden, he said, noting that he had written to the administrator of the federal General Services Administration urging her to permit the transition to proceed. 

New Jersey recorded an additional 3,592 cases of COVID on Monday, with 11 deaths. 

"Our goal is to vaccinate 70% of the adult population, or 4.7 million New Jerseyans, in six months," Persichilli said. To reach that goal, vaccine sites will need to operate six days a week, inoculating 67,000 people a day.

"It's a big undertaking," she said. Each person must be observed for 15 minutes after the shot, issued a card identifying which vaccine they received and called to remind them of the need for a second shot. 

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots, with Pfizer's spaced three weeks apart and Moderna's four weeks apart.

This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. On Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, Pfizer said an early peek at its vaccine data suggests the shots may be 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.

Packages of the vaccine will be shipped directly to some 40 New Jersey hospitals that have ultra-cold freezers, Persichilli said, because a super-cold chain of transport and storage is needed to preserve the vaccine's effectiveness. 

From the hospitals, the vaccine will be distributed to local health departments, pharmacies, doctors' offices and other hospitals, where it must be used within a certain period of time. Pfizer’s vaccine will be transported with dry ice and stored in special freezers, while Moderna’s can be refrigerated for up to 30 days.  

Getting FDA approval

Pfizer is the first company to request an Emergency Use Authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which said a decision to greenlight public distribution could come on Dec. 10. The company announced last week that its vaccine was 95% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19, and particularly effective in those over 65 years old.  

Moderna’s vaccine showed a similar level of effectiveness — 94.5%. The company is waiting for additional safety data — expected within days — from a two-month follow-up of the majority of participants in its clinical trial before applying to the FDA for authorization.

A third vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and tested in the United Kingdom and Brazil, has shown positive results but is further behind in the process. The company announced Monday that its vaccine was 70.4% effective. 

Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine development program, has already started manufacturing both vaccines so they will be ready for distribution, once FDA authorization is received. 

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Based on CDC guidelines, the first to receive the COVID vaccine in New Jersey will be the staff “in hospitals, urgent care centers, community health centers, doctors and dentist offices, pharmacies, dialysis centers" and those working at in-home settings, Persichilli said. 

Long-term care staff and residents are also a high priority, she said. That includes 90,000 residents of nursing homes, assisted living and other facilities, along with 100,000 people who take care of them. 

Next in line will be other essential workers, such as first responders, grocery store workers and delivery staff, followed by people at higher risk, such as those over age 65, those with underlying medical conditions and those who live in congregate settings, such as jails, group homes and dormitories. 

A federal advisory group will soon make updated recommendations about the priority groups for vaccination, but it won't meet until after the Food and Drug Administration actually authorizes the vaccines.

Lindy Washburn is a senior health care reporter for NorthJersey.com. To keep up-to-date about how changes in the medical world affect the health of you and your family, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: washburn@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @lindywa