SOUTH BRUNSWICK – The South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management has been coordinating with the Middlesex County Health Department and state officials about the planned vaccine distribution.
The county’s vaccination program will include collaboration with the state to operate a “megasite” at Raritan Center in Edison. Their program will also include additional sites geographically distributed across Middlesex County. They will provide more information relative to the location of those sites as they are finalized.
The county’s vaccination program will be dependent upon a reliable vaccine supply chain from state and federal partners. Currently, the county has received a limited supply of the vaccine. As these shipments are delivered on a more routine and reliable basis, the county will be able to more accurately project the frequency with which vaccination distribution will take place. In the coming weeks, the supply chain will evolve into a more reliable distribution of a specific number of units, on a specific time interval, to allow for longer-term planning.
Phase 1A (January)
- Health care workers, who are paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials
- Long-term care residents and staff
- Non-hospital-based healthcare personnel and residents of other long-term care settings
The vaccine is available now for Phase 1A healthcare workers. For a list of locations healthcare workers can make an appointment to receive a vaccine, visit https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/healthcare-worker-covid-19-vaccine-locations
Phase 1B (January – February)
- Frontline essential workers and individuals over 75;
Phase 1C (March – April)
- Essential workers, adults 65-74, and persons aged 16-64 with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19.
Phase 2 (May – June)
- General Population
For the latest information on the vaccine, visit https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/vaccine
South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management has set up a recorded phone message for the latest information on vaccination. Call 732-329-4000, ext. 4400.
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The number of positive cases from Dec. 20-26 hit a new high in South Brunswick, with 111 new cases of residents testing positive. This number represents a 58% increase in new cases than were reported the previous week, and is South Brunswick’s largest number of new cases reported in a single week over the course of the pandemic.
In addition, 20 cases were reported from previous weeks.
South Brunswick also received notification that the town has had an additional death attributed to COVID, a man in his 60s, bringing the total fatality count to 38.
The township’s positive cases over the past week dipped slightly, but still represented South Brunswick’s highest number of cases during the course of the pandemic, only trailing the week of Dec. 20-26 by 20 cases. Tracking of trends over the course of the pandemic show that South Brunswick had more cases reported over the past three weeks than during the entire 5-month period from May 1 to Sept. 30.
This past week, officials were notified of 91 new cases of residents testing positive. This number represents an 18% decrease in new cases than were reported last week, but is still the second largest number of new cases reported in a single week over the course of the pandemic.
In addition, 28 cases were reported from previous weeks.
South Brunswick currently has 1,372 cases of residents who have tested positive.
Statewide, 3,633 people are hospitalized due to COVID through Jan. 4, a slight increase in the number of hospitalizations over the previous week. Middlesex County saw its numbers increase to 46,256 total cases.
South Brunswick Township public schools are currently in virtual learning mode, with no students or teachers in the buildings until at least January. The status of South Brunswick schools remains fluid, with decisions made based on the best and most recent available data, guidance from government organizations, and a comprehensive review of school district capabilities.
– This information was provided by the South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management.