New Jersey COVID-19 vaccine shipments may be delayed due to the winter weather conditions, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Murphy said at a press conference on Wednesday that the state is anticipating late deliveries of the COVID-19 vaccines in the wake of prevalent snowstorms.
“We're making preparations to use existing inventory to satisfy current appointments,” Murphy said during a Thursday press conference. “However, not all sites may be able to do this, and this may result in many appointments needing to be rescheduled.”
Nearly two million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the state and more than 500,000 people have received both doses of the vaccine, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention COVID Data Tracker.
Seton Hall University has yet to release any plans to facilitate or require COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty, and employees on campus who are eligible or once vaccine supply become widely available.
“The HICT [Health Intervention Communication Team] continuously reviews all available data in aggregate to keep our community informed and to better ensure their safety and well-being,” Laurie Pine, University Spokesperson, said.
However, Pine added that the HICT is focused on providing information on vaccine eligibility requirements, process, and locations in their weekly communication.
Jessica Jordano, a junior nursing major, said she was eligible for the vaccine due to her nursing assistant job at Morristown Medical Center.
She said she felt tired after getting the first dose of the Moderna vaccine but attributed her exhaustion to working the night shift. However, she said after getting the second dose she experienced side effects including a fever, chills, nausea, and a headache, which she said only lasted a day.
Moira Ryan, senior criminal justice major, said that she was eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she is a volunteer EMT in Bergen County.
“The faster I build up immunity against it –– the more people I’ll be able to help,” Ryan said, citing her frequent volunteer shifts and desire to prevent the potential transmission between her COVID-19 patients and other patients on the ambulance.
In the United States, more than 75 million individuals have been vaccinated, according to the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
The Biden administration has already executed plans to increase vaccine supply plans and permit vaccine distribution to retail pharmacies.
Amanda DeJesus can be reached at amanda.dejesus@student.shu.edu
