Over 88% Of Chatham Township Adults Are Vaccinated: Mayor

CHATHAM, NJ — Over 88 percent of Chatham Township adults ages 18+ have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, Mayor Stacey Ewald said at a Township Committee meeting Thursday night.

Over 95 percent of Chatham Township residents ages 65 and up have received the shot, Ewald said, and the vaccination rate currently sits at 72 percent of all residents (the vaccine has not been authorized for children younger than 12).

"The vaccines available in the United States are extremely effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death," Ewald said at the meeting. "The latest information from the CDC indicates that the vaccines remain highly effective against currently circulating variants."

The delta variant now accounts for 90 percent of COVID-19 cases detected in New Jersey, Ewald said, and there have been breakthrough cases – cases where a fully vaccinated person gets infected with coronavirus – in every county.

On Monday, Chatham Borough Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz announced that 97 percent of adults in the borough 18 and over are fully vaccinated, Patch reported.

"Vaccination is still the most important tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and is recommended for all individuals over age 12, including those who have recovered from previous COVID-19 infection," Ewald said.