By Walter Elliott
WEST ORANGE – The expanding COVID-19 vaccination sites – and the registration headaches that go with them could be exemplified here as late as Feb. 16.
Essex County’s regional vaccination center here at West Orange Plaza, 235-51 Prospect Ave., has drawn appointment holders from within the township here plus Newark, Montclair, Nutley, Verona, Cedar Grove and Essex Fells since its Jan. 12 opening in the former K-mart.
A recent weekday afternoon glance at the plaza’s parking lot has shown more parked cars there since K-mart turned off its blue light by Feb. 2, 2020.
Those appointees, who may have felt worn down in getting a vaccination reservation and/or see the line entering the former plaza anchor store may have cast wanting eyes across Eagle Rock Avenue to the newly opened CVS.
CVS and Rite-Aid pharmacies posted an overall list of 101 New Jersey stores that will vaccinate appointees by reservation Feb. 10-12. CVS, on its website registration page, stated Feb. 11, however that its “West Orange” site is “Fully Booked.”
Without getting a CVS appointment, as of press time, one will not know which of West Orange’s three pharmacies is its vaccination site: the across-the-avenue Pal’s Cabin site 265 Prospect, the old A&P Supermarket at 217 Main St. by the Edison labs or the former Grand Union supermarket at 20 S. Valley Rd.
Rite-Aid is a little more forthcoming with its East Orange, Irvington and Newark vaccination locations – but one has to pass a vaccination qualifier before making an appointment at one of three “Local Talk” locations.
CVS, which first came aboard as an U.S. Department of Health “Operation Warp Speed” vaccine distributor, and Rite-Aid are the latest additions to the Department of Health’s expanding vaccination site locations. NJDOH had added a range of Federally Qualified Health Centers – from the Newark Health Community Centers to independent drug stores – Jan. 22.
That each of the participating vaccinators have clients applying on their own sites is an example of how they are working from out of their own silos. Those sites may offer appointments to site outside of the “Local Talk” area. Applicants may also learn whether they are getting a single shot or have to make a second shot appointment.
Other problems or backfires include the short shelf-life of some of the four vaccinations offered, and interference by Mother Nature.
The positive side of this vaccination “work in progress” includes the increasing volume of vaccine supplies, rising vaccination counts and the gradual widening of the “qualified” pool of applicants.
“Local Talk” has compiled the following by-town list that is accurate as of press time:
NEWARK: Essex County Vaccination Sites
· Essex County College Gym, 303 University Ave. 10 a.m. -6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays for Newark, Irvington, East Orange residents. NOTE: Newark residents are also welcome at the other sites in West Orange, Livingston and West Caldwell. EssexCOVID.org, (973) 877-8456.
· Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology, 498-544 W. Market St.,
· Newark Community Health Center, 741 Broadway, 92 Ferry St., 101 Ludlow St., NCHCFQHC.org
· Rite-Aid, 104 12th Ave, riteaid.com/pharmacy/covid-qualifier.
· RWJBarnabasHealth Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, 201 Lyons Ave., (973) 926-4376. rwjbh.org/covid19vaccine
· Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness, 110 William St., (973) 733-5728 newarkcovid19.com/home.
· St. James Health Adult Clinic, 228 Lafayette St., (973) 789-8111 saintjameshealth.com
· St. Michael’s Medical, St. Mike’s POD, 111 Central Ave., (973)877-5000. signupgenius.com/go/1oCoD44A4AD2BA3FBCF8-sign2
· Jewish Renaissance Medical Center, 359 13th Ave., (732) 9333. jrmc.us.
· Liss Pharmacy, 794 Mt. Prospect Ave., (973) 483-4749. lisspharmacy.com
· Shop Rite Pharmacy, 206 Springfield Ave., (973) 877-3641. (Note: Pharmacy open only for COVID services.)
IRVINGTON
· NCHC, 1148-50 Springfield Ave., (973) 675-1900
· Rite-Aid, 35 Mill Rd.,
EAST ORANGE
· NCHC, 444 William St., (973) 675-1900
· Rite-Aid, 547 Central Ave.
· East Orange General Hospital, 300 Central Ave., (973) 266-2995
ORANGE
· NCHC, 37 No. Day St., Third Floor (973) 323-3669
WEST ORANGE
· Essex County Site, W.O. Plaza, 231-51 Prospect Ave.
MONTCLAIR
· Hackensack Meridian Health-Mountainside Hospital, 1 Bay Ave. Mountainsidehosp.com
BLOOMFIELD
· Riverside Medical Group Urgent Care, 135 Bloomfield Ave., (973) 748-7459.
BELLEVILLE
· RWJBH Clara Maas Medical Center, 1 Clara Mass Dr.
· Riverside Medical Group, 195 Cortlandt St. (973) 759-1221 riversidemedgroup.com
NUTLEY
· Riverside Medical Group, 228 Franklin Ave.
· Nutley Health Department Adult Clinic, 149 Chestnut St., (973) 877-8456.
LIVINGSTON
· Essex County Site, Livingston Mall/Sears, 112 Eisenhower Pkwy.
WEST CALDWELL
· Essex County “West Caldwell” Technical High School, 420 Passaic Ave., Noon-7 p.m. Mon-Sat.
