Camden County Delays COVID-19 Boosters Due To Nor'easter

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — All 250 COVID-19 vaccine and booster appointments scheduled in Camden County for Tuesday have been moved back to Wednesday due to the coming nor’eater, county officials announced on Monday.

The projected storm is forecast to bring several inches of rain and wind gusts up to 40 mph creating untenable outdoor clinical conditions. Read more here: Nor’easter In NJ: Flash Flood Watch Issued In Most Counties

All appointments will be kept at the same time and move to the next day. The storm comes at a time when Camden County was set to administer the newly-approved Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots at the new health hub at Camden County College, according to Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. Read more here: New Camden County Health Hub Will Include COVID-19 Boosters

“Nevertheless, our public health officials and clinicians are planning to take up the task the next day, so hopefully everyone can keep their appointments,” Cappelli said. “Since the announcement of the creation of the health hub, we have seen a surge of appointments for boosters and third doses. This will be a minor setback, and we look forward to continuing to get this tool into the hands of as many residents as possible before the winter and holiday season starts to get into a post pandemic world.”

The operational hours for phase one of the health hub are Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and again on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. These days and times are subject to change based on the demand from the community.

Individuals can register for an appointment at www.CamdenCountyVaccine.com and vaccinations and COVID testing are being distributed by appointment only.

The Camden County Health Hub has been constructed in two phases. The first phase, which opened on Oct. 14, is administering first doses, second doses of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

It also includes booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna and J&J for eligible members of the population and third doses of both Moderna and Pfizer. Phase two will encompass COVID testing and other amenities, starting on Nov. 1.

“Moving forward, it looks like we will see a decision rendered soon by the FDA for children who are 5-years-old and above becoming eligible for the shot,” Cappelli said. “Based on the forthcoming approvals the Camden County Department of Health and our health hub location will be ready and willing to vaccinate all of our school age children.”

See related: COVID-19 Vaccine May Soon Be Available For NJ Kids 5+

The site is set up in the vast parking lot on campus using pop-up hospital pods, while residents are seen from their cars. Depending on the patient need, public health professionals will have multiple drive-thru lines for residents to use regarding their need for the visit to the new outdoor complex.

As of Monday, 371,289 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 312,457 are fully vaccinated and 30,107 have received a third dose or booster shot. More information regarding vaccination rates throughout the county and available on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard at covid19.nj.gov.

As of Monday, there have been 59,381 coronavirus cases and 1,315 coronavirus-related deaths in Camden County since the pandemic began in March 2020.

“Over the last five days, we are averaging 87 new cases of COVID-19 per day,” Cappelli said. “Unvaccinated adults and children are still the most likely to get and transmit COVID-19, so if you are an adult that still has not gotten the vaccine, please get it now.”

Below is the forecast for Camden County for the next few days, according to the National Weather Service:

Monday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 10pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. Low around 58. South wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Tuesday
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8am, then showers likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 64. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Tuesday Night
Showers likely, mainly between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. North wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday
A chance of showers before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.

Thursday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday
Showers. High near 62. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night
Showers. Low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday
A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday
Partly sunny, with a high near 64.