Morris County is closing its regional vaccination center this weekend due to a lack of vaccine supplies.
No appointments at the Morris County COVID-19 Regional Vaccination Center were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday because local health officials planned to stop the service, according to a press release from the county government on Thursday.
Morris County is operating the regional vaccination center, located within an old Sears department store at Rockaway Townsquare, in conjunction with the Atlantic Health System. It is one of the six vaccine megasites in the state.
Governor Phil Murphy attended the opening on January 8.
Murphy announced on Thursday that New Jersey will receive more doses than expected in the next three weeks, but acknowledged that state demand for consultations is easily outstripping available supplies.
As of Thursday, the center administered more than 10,000 combined doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, according to Morris County.
The center is scheduled to resume full operations on Monday.
The Morris County weekend stoppage announcement came a day after the county acknowledged state and local frustrations due to a lack of scheduling.
“We want to make it clear that everyone here in Morris County fully understands the frustration that people feel at not being able to get vaccine appointments,” said Commissioner Douglas Cabana on Wednesday.
“It may not make anyone feel better, but this problem is universal in New Jersey and other states, despite what some people may be seeing on social media. The problem is that there is a very high demand for vaccine, but a very small offer ”, said Cabana.
Officials will spend the weekend expanding the center, with the expectation of being able to offer a higher rate of vaccines in the near future, the statement said.
Murphy said on Thursday that New Jersey will receive about 130,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine per week for the next three weeks – about 30,000 more per week than initially expected.
The state’s difficult goal is to vaccinate 70% of New Jersey’s eligible population – about 4.7 million people – by the end of May.
In New Jersey, the following groups are eligible for the vaccine: healthcare professionals, including those working in pharmacies; residents and long-term care workers, including those in prisons and psychiatric hospitals; first to respond; people aged 65 and over; individuals between the ages of 16 and 64 with serious medical conditions; and smokers.
New Jersey launched a hotline – 855-568-0545 – for vaccine scheduling.
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Rob Jennings can be reached at [email protected].