Vaccine Registration In NJ Might Get A New Look

NEW JERSEY - Registering for vaccines in the state of New Jersey may soon become automatic to help fast-track dosages and information during public health emergencies like COVID-19.

Under a new bill passed last month by the Senate Health Committee (S1956), every resident born before January 1, 1998, would be considered eligible for enrollment upon receiving a vaccination or by their request.

All newborn infants born on, or after, January 1, 1998 will be enrolled unless the parent or legal guardian provides a request to be excluded. The legislation does not mandate vaccinations.

There will also be exceptions available for medical or religious reasons.

State officials would have the ability to deny a request to opt out from the registry based on a few situations:

• An officially declared public health emergency
• An officially declared state of emergency
• An outbreak of a communicable disease
• The officially determined threat of an outbreak of a communicable disease

The new registry guidelines are meant to help health officials keep better track of vaccination rates and roll out more effective vaccination information efforts.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Middlesex) and Sen. Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp.), passed on a 5-3 vote, with all republicans taking the opposition.

"I voted ‘No’ on S-1956 because no one should be automatically added to a vaccine database without their informed consent,” said Senator Robert W. Singer (R-30). “Furthermore, allowing a government bureaucrat to temporarily suspend the right to opt out raises serious concerns about civil liberties and medical autonomy. These deeply personal health decisions belong with individuals and families, and their doctor, plain and simple. That’s a line I won’t cross, and I won’t support any measure that does."

This move comes less than a month after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) removed the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy children and healthy pregnant women from its schedule. According to FDA Administrator Martin Makary, “There’s no evidence that healthy kids need it today and most countries have stopped recommending it for children.”

The bill also follows a string of measles case exposures around the United States over the past year, including one last month right here in New Jersey at Newark Airport. The CDC says just two doses of the vaccine can prevent the disease, and one person infected can “lead to a dozen other people becoming infected in any community where less than 95% of people have been vaccinated.”