From teachers, to the homeless and judicial workers, NJ expands vaccine eligibility

NEW JERSEY - The COVID vaccine will be available for new groups of people in New Jersey amounting to hundreds of thousands of workers and residents beginning in March, announced Gov. Phil Murphy Monday.

All Pre-K through 12th-grade educators, support staff, child care workers in licensed and registered settings, public and local transportation workers including bus, taxi, rideshare, airport employees, NJ Transit workers and Motor Vehicle Commission workers, public safety workers who are not sworn law enforcement or fire professionals, migrant farmworkers, members of tribal communities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those living in shelters including domestic violence shelters will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine beginning March 15.

Beginning March 29, frontline essential workers in the restaurant, food processing and food distribution industries, grocery personnel, warehouse personnel, longshore workers, remaining elder care workers, hospitality workers, elections workers, clergy, postal, other shipping workers, and judicial system employees will be allowed to make appointments for the vaccine. 

"Please remember that there are thousands of residents in these groups and the March 15 group that have already been eligible either because of their age or their chronic medical conditions or given the examples of school nurses and transit personnel were previously qualified to get a vaccine. We are certain that there are many of these groups who have already been vaccinated," said Murphy.

The Garden State was expected to receive  73,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s new one-dose vaccine this week, said the governor. CVS and Rite Aide would be given more than 20,000 doses from Johnson & Johnson this week, too.

NJ has administered 2,039,427 vaccinations as of Monday. The governor asked that people heading to mega vaccination sites not arrive more than 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment.

"If you have an appointment, you have a vaccine," said Murphy.