Displaying items by tag: vaccine

Currently in New Jersey, vaccines are available to paid and unpaid healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term and congregate care facilities, first responders including sworn law enforcement and fire professionals, individuals over 65, and individuals 16-64 with certain medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus, as defined by the CDC. If you are eligible to receive a vaccine, there are multiple ways to get vaccinated: pre-register and make an appointment through the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System. Register here; make an appointment directly with a vaccination location. View locations here; you work at a select healthcare facility, make an appointment through your place of work; and 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. 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. If you make your first dose appointment through the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System, you will receive an automatically scheduled second dose appointment and you will be emailed a confirmation with the details of your second dose appointment.

Dr. Paschal Nwako, Camden County Health Officer, has provided the following recommended links and documents for COVID-19 information from the CDC, the State of New Jersey and Camden County websites which is in line with our 2020 Local Board of Summit “Better Health Outcomes in Your Own Back Yard for COVID-19" and best practices. The goal is for each mayor to be in partnership with Camden County Department of Health in getting the word out and providing resources to the residents of their municipality. Resources include: COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit, Vaccine Roll Out Information Site from The State Of New Jersey, CDC: Benefits of Getting the COVID Vaccine: Vaccine Facts, New Jersey Department of Health Communicable Disease Service Website, Camden County Website, Camden County COVID-19 Updates and Resources, Camden County COVID-19 Dashboard, COVID-19 Vaccine Information, and Camden County Needs You: Medical Professionals Sought for COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics.

As consumers are crowding back into stores, restaurants and other places of business as states ease pandemic-related restrictions, a full return to normal isn’t likely to happen until November 2021, according to Ezekiel (Zeke) Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton professor of health care management. Emanuel said strict adherence to non-pharmacological interventions work better than haphazard compliance with them, and it has been challenging to get everyone to comply. In fact, states like Arizona, Florida and Texas have seen infections skyrocket since they relaxed lockdown measures. “I think it’s almost inevitable we’re going to have a second wave that pops up in October or November [of this year], when we’re all going inside. That worries me a lot,” he said. “Adhering to strict measures doesn’t seem possible in the U.S.” He also pointed to research that shows the immune system reaction to the virus is short-lived, with antibodies lasting only two to three months versus three to 12 months for other viruses, indicating that it might be difficult to develop a long-lasting vaccine.

While a safe, effective vaccine is still more than a year away, researchers are rushing to repurpose existing drugs and non-drug therapies as well as testing promising experimental drugs that were already in clinical trials. More than 70 vaccine are also in development around the world, with at least five in preliminary testing in people - one in Seattle and one in China. Reuters offers a look at some of the experimental drugs, vaccines and other therapies currently in development.