Gov. Murphy, wife get first coronavirus shots at Atlantic City megasite
ATLANTIC CITY - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine Friday at one of the state's six mass vaccination sites in Atlantic City.
Murphy and Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small joined state and local leaders on a tour of the megasite housed at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Casino workers received their first shots through a partnership program with AtlantiCare and the Casino Association of New Jersey.
Murphy, who had a cancerous tumor removed from his kidneys a year ago, has been adamant about waiting his turn to get a coronavirus vaccine rather than use his political position or medical history to jump the line.
"I want to follow the rules like everybody else," Murphy told FOX 29's Good Day Philadelphia. "I had cancer a year ago but it's not active, thank god, I've had two good six-month check-ups and I'm not in the throes."
The 63-year-old became vaccine eligible on Monday when the state opened enrollment to people 55+. New Jersey's latest wave of vaccine-eligible residents includes people 16+ with certain medical conditions, utility workers, and sanitation employees.
The Garden State as of Friday has doled out more than 2M coronavirus shots, according to New Jersey's website. Murphy's stated goal is to have 4.7M New Jersey adults fully vaccinated by the end of June.
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