County Opens COVID Vaccination Sites

Essex County has received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines and residents in high-priority categories can now make an appointment to get vaccinated at one of its five vaccination sites.

The first priority group is paid and unpaid hospital workers, followed by those in healthcare, first responders, education, childcare, law enforcement, transportation and high-risk populations. Appointments can be made on the county’s COVID-19 information site, EssexCOVID.org, or by calling 973-877-8456. Verona residents will get their shots at the former Kmart store near the intersection of Mount Prospect and Eagle Rock avenues in West Orange.

The county’s announcement, which was made on social media, did not say when it would begin administering the shots, or which version of the vaccination it would be giving. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna, which both require two doses to be effective. There will be no co-pay required at county vaccination sites; insurance companies will be billed $16.94 for the first dose and $28.39 for the second. If someone who needs the vaccine does not have insurance, the county will cover the cost.

Several Verona residents who are hospital-based healthcare workers have already gotten the COVID-19 vaccine at their place of work. The county program is meant for people who do not have a work-based vaccination program. Essex County will also continue to provide free COVID-19 testing and residents can schedule a test here.

“In addition to wearing a mask, washing our hands, social distancing and getting tested, we encourage residents to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by getting vaccinated,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said in a prepared statement. “Our comprehensive plan provides vaccination centers that are convenient to all Essex County residents. We encourage everyone to get the vaccine.”

The five vaccination locations and the municipalities assigned to each of them are as follows:

• Essex County College, 303 University Avenue, Newark (Gym entrance on West Market Street): Newark, East Orange and Irvington.
• Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology, 498-544 West Market Street, Newark: Newark, East Orange and Irvington.
• Former Kmart building, 235 Prospect Avenue, West Orange: West Orange, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Montclair, Newark, Nutley and Verona.
• Livingston Mall, former Sears building, 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston (Entrance is in the back): Livingston, Belleville, Maplewood, Millburn, Newark, Orange and South Orange.
• Essex County West Caldwell School of Technology, 620 Passaic Avenue, West Caldwell: West Caldwell, Bloomfield, Caldwell, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Newark, North Caldwell and Roseland.

Residents of Newark can make an appointment at any of the five sites, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After being inoculated with the vaccine, residents will be required to wait 15 minutes while they are monitored for any side effects. Social distancing guidelines will be followed at every site and areas will be sanitized on a regular basis throughout the day.