Booster Shots will be Available at Kmart and Essex County College
Appointments can be made at EssexCOVID.org or 973-877-8456
ESSEX COUNTY – On Monday, August 16th, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that Essex County started administering COVID-19 booster shots to residents who have compromised immune systems since Saturday, August 14th.
During the first day, there were 357 booster shots given. Booster shots are available at the Essex County vaccination centers at Kmart in West Orange and Essex County College in Newark. Appointments can be made at EssexCOVID.org or 973-877-8456.
“Getting vaccinated is the best choice we all can make to keep our families safe and prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, and we encourage everyone to get their shots,” DiVincenzo said. “Essex County has been administering vaccines since December 2020 and we are prepared to administer the booster shots. Just like our original vaccination process, we will administer booster shots by appointment only and we are committed to making getting a booster shot as easy and efficient as possible,” he added.
On Saturday, August 14th, Essex County administered 357 booster shots. Of those shots, 305 were of Moderna and 52 were of Pfizer.
“I am proud that Joe makes sure the community is taken care of,” Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill said. “We’ve worked hard to get people vaccinated in New Jersey. Vaccines will protect people from the virus,” she added.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura commended the County Executive for the attention he has kept on the vaccination program. “Joe makes sure Essex is first and we appreciate it very much,” he added.
“I want to thank Joe DiVincenzo for his foresight throughout the pandemic and for keeping these sites up and running,” Commissioner President Wayne Richardson said. “I encourage everyone to get their shots. If you haven’t gotten them, then it’s time for you to get vaccinated,” he added.
On Friday, August 13th, the CDC and FDA recommended that residents with compromised immune systems receive a third dose, or booster shot, of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. According to the CDC and FDA, people are considered to have a compromised immune system if they are fighting a disease, undergoing medical treatments or have received an organ transplant.
To accommodate the administration of the booster shots, the hours of operation at the Essex County Vaccination Centers at Kmart and Essex County College have been expanded to six days a week from Mondays to Saturdays. The centers are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Kmart is located at 235 Prospect Avenue in West Orange; Essex County College is located at 177 West Market Street in Newark.
Booster shots WILL NOT be available at the mobile clinics or pop-up sites organized by Essex County.
Essex County opened its vaccination centers on December 26, 2020, and was the first county in New Jersey to open a vaccination center. Since then, it has administered 185,058 first doses of Moderna, 181,542 second doses of Moderna, 305 third doses of Moderna, 7,479 first doses of Pfizer, 5,808 second doses of Pfizer, 52 third doses of Pfizer and 15,962 doses of J&J vaccines.
In addition to administering vaccines, Essex County’s vaccination centers, mobile locations and pop-up sites also offer free COVID-19 testing.
Photo Courtesy Essex County
