If you are concerned about the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine in New Jersey, the numbers are on your side.
Although New Jersey has accelerated the distribution of the vaccine that prevents the disease caused by the new coronavirus, the numbers indicate that much work remains to be done. The state administered 263,422 total doses, until Friday, January 15. There are 2,966 per 100,000 inhabitants, placing Garden State last among its neighbors in the Northeast.
Some of the neighboring states are in a similar neighborhood. Out of 100,000 residents, Pennsylvania distributed 3,206 doses, while Delaware has 3,193 and Massachusetts administered 3,387.
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However, if you look at the top of the list, you’ll see Connecticut with 4,821 doses per 100,000 people, Vermont with 4,739 and Maine with 4,548, all surpassing New Jersey.
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The state initially set a goal to vaccinate 70% of the population in six months. The vaccine’s launch was plagued by problems from the early days, including uncertainty about the availability of the vaccine by the federal government, bureaucratic obstacles to making pharmacy chains administer the vaccine in nursing homes and the logistical challenges of maintaining vaccination sites in functioning and maintaining health health professionals are still needed to combat the ongoing pandemic.
All resulted in an uneven distribution within the state, leading some counties to administer far more doses than others.
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Nick Devlin is a reporter for the data and investigations team. He can be reached at [email protected].