by Commissioner Chairman Steven A. Tanelli, County of Bergen and 2021 NJAC Board of Directors
View the entire newsletter for more articles: 2021 – NJAC County Biz – March
In early March 2020, Bergen County became “ground zero” in the battle against coronavirus with the first reported case and first reported death in New Jersey. The County administration coordinated with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, FEMA, and the Army Corps of Engineers to build a 100-bed temporary hospital in Paramus, New Jersey. The two self-contained acute care facilities were built in just two weeks. While they were intended to serve as an overflow facility for COVID-19 patients, it was thankfully never put into full operation for patient care.
Instead, the Bergen New Bridge Alternate Care Facility Annex now serves as Bergen County’s primary vaccination site. Since late December 2020, Bergen County in partnership with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, has used the 13,450-square-foot structures as a “large” vaccination point of dispensing (POD) for the Moderna vaccine. The vaccination site has grown from administering 300 doses of the vaccine per day to having the capacity to administer 1,000 first and second doses per day. It has the ability to expand to even greater numbers.
The vaccination site is available to Bergen County residents as well as healthcare workers and first responders working in Bergen County. Eligible vaccine recipients can register to make an appointment at BergenCovidVaccine.com. The portal allows residents to monitor appointment availability and register for one. Appointments are available Monday through Saturday based on vaccine supply.
Upon arrival to the Annex, residents are checked in. They are separated into socially distanced groups of 10 known as a pod. As per CDC guidelines, after they receive their shot, each pod is moved to a socially distanced room to be monitored on site by medical professionals. They are also automatically scheduled for their second appointment in 28 days’ time.
Yet the biggest obstacle remains, which is a nationwide shortage of vaccines. While Bergen County is working tirelessly with the State to increase vaccine supply, it has simultaneously taken the proactive step of purchasing two ultra-cold freezers. The freezers provide the County the ability to store up to 1 million doses of vaccines, which is not only enough storage capacity for every single Bergen County resident, but large enough to assist municipal partners.
As more vaccines become available, the bigger challenge will be overcoming the public’s hesitancy to getting the vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine data shows that there is a disparity in the rate of vaccinations among communities of color. In order to address this, the County of Bergen partnered with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center and Greater Bergen Community Action to launch the COVID-19 Vaccination Equity team. The program aims to provide equitable vaccine access and education to black and brown communities across the county. We are hopeful that this along with vaccine success stories within their communities will help individuals feel more confident about the process.
While Bergen County was one of the hardest hit areas in the United States, it has never wavered and will continue to fight until every single resident is vaccinated and protected from this deadly virus.