For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination effort, as well as an update on COVID-19 related information, please follow the more info link below.
New Jersey has developed an extensive network of vaccination sites to serve those currently eligible for vaccination, but vaccine supply is still very limited and will be for some time. At this time, there are over 250 vaccination centers across the State, none of which have received enough vaccine to be anywhere close to their throughput capacity. The State will not authorize additional vaccine providers, vaccination centers, or clinics for the foreseeable future. Opening additional, undersupplied locations will not contribute to the efficient administration of vaccine. Therefore, the strategy is to provide a steady and reliable supply of vaccine to the existing sites so they can operate at capacity, as quickly as possible. Local health departments are trained to support the mega-sites and other existing sites where possible. Those in the eligible priority groups are asked to remain patient, as it could take weeks for appointments to become available at vaccination centers.
Determining If You Are Eligible for the Vaccine
Currently, vaccines are available to:
- Paid and unpaid healthcare workers
- Residents and staff of long-term and high-risk congregate settings
- First responders including sworn law enforcement and fire professionals
- Individuals aged 65 and older
- Individuals aged 16-64 that have certain medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19
- Learn more here.
If you are eligible to receive a vaccine, there are multiple ways to get vaccinated. It is recommended that you try them all:
- Pre-register and make an appointment through the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System. Register here.
- You will first be notified when you become eligible for the vaccine and you will be notified again when an appointment is available to you through the scheduling system.
- This online portal enables eligible individuals to schedule an appointment when one is available.
- If you experience an error, need support with the scheduling system, or need to correct an error, you can complete an online form at covid19.nj.gov/vaccinehelp or call 855-568-0545 for phone support from 8 am to 8 pm. Due to high call volumes, callers are experiencing long wait times.
- Make an appointment directly with a vaccination location. View locations here.
- If you work or volunteer at a select healthcare facility, make an appointment through your place of work.
- Veterans who receive care from VA health facilities or live in VA long-term care facilities may be eligible for vaccines through the VA. Learn more here.
Note: If you make your first dose appointment by booking directly with a vaccine clinic, you should schedule a second dose appointment when you have your first appointment. If you did not receive a second dose appointment at the time of receiving your first dose, you need to contact the site where you received your first vaccine for assistance scheduling the second dose.
There will be more vaccine with each coming week and month.
Six mega sites throughout New Jersey will serve as vaccination hubs for phased priority groups, part of a critical network of over 250 sites tasked with carrying out the State's COVID-19 vaccination plan fairly and equitably. These mega sites opened in January:
- Atlantic County: Atlantic City Convention Center (opened 1/22/21)
- Bergen County: Racetrack at Meadowlands, East Rutherford (opened 1/22/21)
- Burlington County: Moorestown Mall (opened 1/15/21)
- Gloucester County: Rowan College of South Jersey, Sewell (opened 1/8/21)
- Middlesex County: New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, Edison (opened 1/15/21)
- Morris County: Rockaway Townsquare (opened 1/11/21)
Morris County Mega Vaccine Center
Residency in Morris County is not required for this Vaccination Center. At this time, COVID vaccinations at this, or any site, are for the eligible priority groups specified above, only.
Registration Instructions for Eligible Priority Groups at the Mega Vaccination Center, Sears Building, Rockaway Townsquare Mall – This site requires those seeking vaccinations at this location to register directly with this vaccination center.
- Please use the link https://bit.ly/3onkSkC to register and schedule an appointment at the Morris CountyMega Vaccination Center. For those who are unable to schedule an appointment because none are available, additional appointments will be released as allocations of the vaccine are received.
- The Morris County Mega Vaccination Center is a collaborative effort of Atlantic Health System, Morris County, and the State of New Jersey. It’s located inside the former Sears building at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, in Rockaway. Sign up for additional COVID-19 information and vaccine updates from Atlantic Health System at (atlantichealth.org/covidvaccine)
- No one will be permitted to walk in to a facility without authorization and no vaccine will be provided to individuals who show up unannounced.
Additional Atlantic Health System Vaccination Centers
- Additional Atlantic Health System Vaccination Centers are open in Clark, Hackettsown, Morristown, Mountain Lakes, Newton and Pompton Plains.
- Follow this following link to make an appointment and/or sign up for alerts. Additional COVID-19 information and vaccine updates from Atlantic Health System are also available on this webpage.
- No one will be permitted to walk into a facility without authorization and no vaccine will be provided to individuals who show up unannounced.
Important Tips that Might be Helpful:
- First, be patient.The speed in which two vaccines were developed with a high level of safety and 95% efficacy is a miracle of modern medicine. Waiting a few extra weeks to find an appointment certainly is still much quicker than waiting years for a viable vaccine, which is normally what should be expected. For the next several weeks, it is likely that most sites will not have appointments available, as vaccine supply is scarce. Be emotionally prepared for this likelihood. Continue practicing COVID safety precautions.
- Those who are in the eligible priority groups, as described above, should attempt to make appointments at the vaccination centers of their choice from the list provided on the NJDOH website.
- Many of the vaccination centers listed may have a link to their own registration and appointment portals. It may be helpful to go to every vaccination site’s link for which you have an interest, and register or attempt to make an appointment, until you are successful.
- In most cases, you do not need to be a resident in the town or county where the vaccination centers on the list are located. Some vaccine centers are geographically restricting access by town or county. In many instances, this would not be consistent with Federal and State guidelines. The State has notified all sites accordingly, to make this clear.
- Some of the sites that do not have vaccine appointments available will only ask that you try again at another time, but others may allow you to register and will send a follow –up email notifying you when they do receive vaccine and have appointments available.
- Please check your emails frequently and immediately attempt to make an appointment as soon as this type of email notification is received. Vaccine is scarce and the limited number of available appointments will be booked up very quickly.
- Please note, it is important that those interested in receiving vaccine have access to email capabilities. If not, they should seek this capability to receive and send emails through friends, family, neighbors, caretakers, etc.
- In addition to these efforts, periodically check with the NJDOH telephone call center for assistance in finding or making appointments. The call center phone number is (855) 568-0545. In the coming weeks, the call center may eventually have the capability to assist callers with making appointments at the various vaccination centers where vaccine may be available, at that time. High call volume is causing long wait times on hold.
If You Have Additional Questions or Need More Information
COVID-19 Activity
Nationally, the number of new COVID-19 infections have begun to decline substantially. However, it is important to note that the risk of future increases across the country still looms. This is largely because of the following:
- Cooler weather causing more indoor activities
- Travel
- COVID outbreaks internationally, some of which includes a more contagious variant of COVID (the vaccine appears to be effective against this variant)
- Pandemic fatigue causing people to abandon basic precautions
- Increased levels of testing
In New Jersey, the numbers of new COVID infections and hospitalizations are falling. Deaths have stabilized and will likely fall in proportion to the trend of declining numbers of confirmed cases and hospitalizations. The hospitalizations and deaths have consistently been in much lower proportion to the total number of infections experienced in the first wave in the spring of 2020.
The rate of transmission in NJ is fluctuating in recent weeks below 1.0 Anything above 1.0 is considered concerning. The higher the number, the greater the risk of viral spread throughout the community. As of February 8, 2021, all six regions of the State remain classified as HIGH (Orange) COVID Activity. Over the course of the last two weeks, the numbers of new COVID cases are declining in all of the municipalities within the Pequannock Health Department’s jurisdictions. Some of the regions of NJ are getting close to becoming classified as MODERATE (yellow) COVID Activity. Hopefully this will be seen in one of the coming weeks.
Please note, the daily cumulative numbers of infected individuals displayed by municipality in the Morris County link below are subject to fluctuate. At times, a percentage of cases are assigned to the wrong municipalities. Also, labs sometimes mistakenly enter the healthcare provider’s address rather than the patients’ addresses, which may skew the numbers to some extent. Corrections are made over time, as these inaccuracies are discovered. However, it should be emphasized, that the trends illustrated by the data are generally accurate.
Please see the links below for the NJDOH COVID Activity Dashboard, the NJ Regional COVID Activity Reports and the links to the Morris County Health Department COVID Website. Morris County links include daily updates of cumulative numbers of cases by municipality and the COVID Activity and Risk Level in each of the State’s six regions. All six regions are now categorized at high risk of spread (orange), just as it has been for the last several weeks.
NJDOH Dashboard
Statewide and Regional COVID Activity Report and Risk Level by Region
Morris County-Based COVID Information including Data for Total Positive Cases by Municipality and COVID Testing Availability
COVID-19 Testing
At-Home Testing
Morris County has transitioned away from the Vault At-Home testing option, however, please be advised that symptomatic individuals who are unable to leave their homes will still have the ability to order an At-Home COVID test via pixel by Lab Corps, which will remain posted on the Morris County website.
- Only Morris County residents are eligible
- You will be asked to provide your health insurance information, but you will not be billed. If you are not insured, your test will still be completed with no cost to you.
No-Cost In-Person Testing at the County College of Morris (CCM)
Morris County is now offering no-cost, in-person saliva COVID testing at County College of Morris. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9am to 4 pm.
Requirements
- You must present proof during the appointment that you live or work in Morris County.
- You must schedule an appointment to get your test. No walk-ins.
- You can get a test whether or not you’re experiencing symptoms.
- Don’t eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum for 30 minutes prior to your COVID test.
- You must wear a mask during your appointment.
Directions and Precautions
Parking at CCM for people with appointments will be reserved in Lot 6, where individuals using public transportation to and from CCM also may board or disembark from a bus. To find directions to CCM and learn more about public transportation options to and from the campus, please go to the CCM website.
List of Testing Sites in Morris County
Anti-Viral Treatments
Anti-Viral Therapies Continue to be Approved and they have Become More Available at Healthcare Facilities Across the Country
On October 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir) for use in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) for the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization. The FDA states that Veklury should only be administered in a hospital or in a healthcare setting capable of providing acute care comparable to inpatient hospital care. Veklury is the first treatment for COVID-19 to receive FDA approval.
On November 21, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for casirivimab and imdevimab to be administered together for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older weighing at least 40 kilograms [about 88 pounds]) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing and who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19. This includes those who are 65 years of age or older or who have certain chronic medical conditions.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. Casirivimab and imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that are specifically directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells.
For additional information about COVID vaccines, therapeutics and Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) please see the FDA and CDC links below:
FDA Site
CDC Vaccines Index
CDC Vaccines FAQ
Contact Tracing and Disease Investigation
The NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) has provided additional contact tracers to our local Health Department from the State work force. They support the operation while under the direction of the Pequannock Health Department’s nurse supervisors. The Department has recently received additional contact tracers to assist in our jurisdiction.
Revised Definition of Close Contact to a COVID Positive Individual
Effective as of October 22, 2020, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) updated their criteria for what is now considered a “Close Contact” in regards to someone’s exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual. As you were made aware in past communications, the previous definition of a “Close Contact” by the NJDOH was any individual 6 feet or closer to a COVID-19 positive individual for 10 consecutive minutes. This definition has now been changed by the NJDOH to read – “a total of 15 minutes or more of close contact exposure (6 feet or closer) to an infected person during a 24-hour period”. Those who have been determined to be a close contact to a COVID -19 positive individual must quarantine or a period of not less than 14 days. This remains unchanged.
School Operations While Addressing COVID Outbreaks
The Pequannock Health Department is working closely with these institutions to contact trace, investigate, isolate, and quarantine individuals to quickly contain any spread of the COVID-19 virus that may be identified within these institutions. In many cases, as COVID cases have increased, classes or certain schools have suspended in-person instruction for 14 day quarantine periods or while performing investigations to ascertain the level of spread, when spread within the school population exceeds or may exceed CDC and NJDOH guidelines. Updated K thru 12 guidance may be found at https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/topics/covid2019_schools.shtml
Attendance at Crowded Gatherings and Travel Increase Risk of COVID Transmission
During the winter and as we are now in cold and flu season, it cannot be stressed enough that large, crowded gatherings, especially indoor or in closed tents, where social distancing isn't being practiced and where face masks aren't being worn when necessary, are in part contributing to the spread of COVID-19. This is especially true at parties or large events where eating and drinking precludes the use of masks. At certain events music may also be playing loudly, which causes people to get close and project so they can be heard in conversation. Indoor spaces are not be as well ventilated and these spaces may make it difficult to socially distance properly. Another driver is travel and /or social interactions, especially indoors, while not practicing safety precautions.
It is advised that indoor gatherings be limited to 10 people or less.
The public must continue to be diligent about the following, while enjoying activities:
- Distancing six or more feet
- Wearing masks/face coverings when appropriate
- Practicing hand hygiene
- Avoiding touching the eyes, nose or mouth
- Disinfecting commonly touched surfaces
- Staying home when symptomatic
- Stay away from indoor gatherings or crowds, especially if at a higher risk of serious illness because of age or specific underlying health conditions
- Following all of the requirements and advisories set forth in the Executive Orders and Executive Directives and Travel Advisories.
- Adhering to isolation and quarantine recommendations and orders from the Health Department’s contact tracers and disease investigators
It is advised that travel be limited to necessary travel only. For more NJDOH Travel Advisory Information please visit the FAQ Website:
Executive Orders
Executive Order 219 - Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Raising Indoor Capacity Limits from 25 Percent to 35 Percent for Certain Businesses
Executive Orders may be issued by the Governor to establish or relax restrictions on certain businesses, social activities and gatherings. For detailed information, please refer to the entire content of the Executive Orders and Executive Directives at the links below.
Additional Links
Please seethe link for all Executive Orders to date:
Please see the link for an up to date list of Executive Directives that the Health Department is responsible to enforce