A vial and a syringe
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey officials have launched a COVID-19 vaccine hotline that is staffed 12 hours a day.
Residents with questions about the vaccine and the state's vaccination program can call 855-568-0545 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to reach one of 250 New Jersey-based operators. The hotline went live on Monday. The line had 17,000 calls in the first hour, Gov. Phil Murphy said.
Operators can help called "with identifying if they are currently eligible for a vaccination, pre-register for the vaccine, and to help them identify locations nearest to them where they can get vaccinated," according to the state's COVID-19 portal.
People can also get help online at covid19.nj.gov/vaccinehelp.
The governor said the state's vaccine supply still lags the demand.
"We continue to ask for patience as we await more vaccine doses coming into our state. We've built the infrastructure from the ground up," Murphy said. "All we need are these doses and we'll be able to fire on all cylinders. Everyone who wants to be vaccinated will be vaccinated."
Health officials reported that another 21 people have died from coronavirus-related causes, bringing the state's confirmed death toll to 18,851. Another 2,121 deaths are listed as probably related to COVID-19.
With The Associated Press
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From NJ.gov: About The NJ Vaccine Call Center
The State's toll-free vaccination hotline (855-568-0545) is available to assist callers with identifying if they are currently eligible for a vaccination, pre-register for the vaccine, and to help them identify locations nearest to them where they can get vaccinated.
The hotline is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day and can help callers in more than 240 different languages.
Due to limited vaccine supply, appointments continue to be limited and will not be immediately available for callers. As appointments become available in NJVSS the call center agents will be fully trained and ready to assist with scheduling.
In the near future, call center agents will also be able to assist callers in looking up registrations, scheduling appointments, and editing appointments in NJVSS.
NOTE: Callers will have to contact vaccination sites directly for support in making appointments for sites that are not using the State's scheduling system (NJVSS). Call center staff only have the capability of registering and scheduling users in NJVSS.