TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Teachers, support staff and public transportation workers will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on March 15, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.
Murphy, a Democrat, said members of tribal communities, the homeless, migrant farm workers and childcare workers also will become eligible for the vaccine. The news comes just as the federal government has greenlighted New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine.
Murphy said the state will be getting more than 70,000 of the new vaccine this week. He heralded the new vaccine as a “game-changer,” but added that it’s unclear how many vaccines the state would be getting weekly in the future.
Murphy also announced that beginning March 29, food production and distribution workers would be eligible for the vaccine. along with warehouse and logistics employees and social services, postal, elections and hospitality workers and others.
The decision comes as the state faces more demand than it has supply of the vaccine, and with those 65 and older and ages 16-64 with medical conditions still waiting for appointments.
That’s why the new eligibility dates have been pushed two and four weeks out, the governor said.
As of Monday, New Jersey has surpassed 2 million people getting at least one shot. It took 55 days for the state to reach 1 million shots and just 20 days to climb to 2 million, the governor said.
New Jersey has fully vaccinated nearly 700,000 people. That’s roughly keeping pace with the country as a whole, which has vaccinated a similar percentage of people, roughly 7.7%.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.