First New Jersey COVID-19 vaccination mega-sites open

Camden County set to open COVID vaccination center

Jeff Cole has details on N.J.'s effort to vaccinate residents and Camden County's new vaccination center

TRENTON, N.J. - The first of New Jersey's COVID-19 vaccination mega-sites the state says will eventually serve as vaccination hubs are now open.

There are 6 mega sites in total -- Morris County, Gloucester County, Atlantic County, Bergen County, Burlington County, and Middlesex County. So far, the site at Rowan College in Gloucester County and Rockaway Townsquare Mall in Morris County have opened. The rest are expected to open this week.

New Jersey opens COVID-19 vaccination mega sites

FOX 29's Steve Keeley has the latest details.

State health officials say the sites will eventually serve as vaccination hubs to vaccinate front-line healthcare workers and then continue the state's phased vaccination approach. Once the state advances through its preliminary vaccination phases, they say they'll be able to make the general public eligible for vaccination.

All sworn-in law enforcement and fire professionals in the state - are now eligible to receive the vaccine.

"Our decision to open up the line to our police and fire personnel was simple," Gov. Murphy said previously. "They have similarly put themselves for more than 10 months. They've responded to medical emergencies, sometimes being the first on site. They have been the ones responding to calls of large parties or other superspreader gatherings, where compliance with masking and common sense was low, but the risk of infection was high.

The goal is to vaccinate up to 2,400 people per day through the mega-sites, but they are just one part of what the state says will eventually be a network of over 200 vaccination sites.

The former Lord & Taylor location inside the Moorestown Mall will be home to the Burlington County site, while the Atlantic County site will be opening inside the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Gov. Murphy is expected to tour the Rowan College site on Monday.

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RELATED COVERAGE:

Moorestown Mall, A.C. Convention Center among locations for 6 vaccination mega-sites in NJ

NJ opens megasites planned to vaccinate thousands

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