Gloucester Twp. Site Ready To Give COVID Vaccine To All Teens

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Health officials in Camden County expect children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old to be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine at the county vaccination center within the next week.

Speaking during a news conference Thursday afternoon, Camden County Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher said the vaccination center at Camden County College will be able to start administering the shots once it receives approval from the state.

“We’re ready to go,” Lasher said. “We have the vaccine available. We have all of our consent forms all set. We’ve already reached out and started those processes with our schools.”

Later in the day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance that anyone who is fully vaccinated should not have to wear masks or social distance indoors or outdoors except under certain circumstances.

Gov. Phil Murphy hadn't reacted to the announcement late Thursday afternoon, but Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. released the following statement:

“Today will be marked as a turning point in our ongoing battle against COVID-19. With the CDC releasing new recommendations stating that fully vaccinated Americans can forgo mask wearing in most indoor and outdoor settings, we may finally be turning a corner and getting back to a place we recognized in early 2020.

"In fact, now that we have more than half of the adult population in Camden County fully vaccinated this opens the door to normalize things that we have missed so much over the past year like the family gatherings, weddings, communions, and celebrations that have always brought us together as a community. With more than 204,000 county adults fully vaccinated, and 247,000 with at least their first dose, we can finally go back to a place where we can begin to shed the masks that have become a staple of daily life for more than a year.

"Nevertheless, we still need to work incredibly hard to get the remaining residents in our region vaccinated to fully enjoy the freedoms that come with lifting restrictions and reducing mask wearing. This is something that the county health department is doing on a regular basis and will continue to do until we vaccinate every last resident. From parks to housing complexes, we will be pounding the pavement to get a super majority of our community vaccinated. If anyone is looking to get vaccinated our mobile unit will be in Cooper River Park this Saturday beginning at 10 a.m., and you can always walk into our clinic in Blackwood or schedule an appointment at camdencountyvaccine.com.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 12-15 on Wednesday.

Gov. Phil Murphy said during a news conference Wednesday that teen vaccinations could begin as early as Thursday, with parental approval. Read more here: All NJ Teens Can Get COVID Vaccine With CDC Approval: Gov. Murphy

Earlier this week, Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. urged parents to start getting their children vaccinated as soon as possible. After weeks of not being available, the Pfizer vaccine is now available at the county vaccination center.

It is the only vaccine that has been granted emergency authorization to be administered to anyone younger than 18 years old. Read more here: 3,500 Pfizer Vaccine Doses Arrive At Camden County Vaccine Site

Over the last seven days, the county has averaged just 64 new cases a day, according to Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young. The spikes the county has seen have come among young children.

“I’m very excited to see that population get that coverage and that protection that the adults have now,” Lasher said. “In the last couple of months, those populations were effected. We did see some kids get ill. We really want to protect the kids, and I’m really excited that we have that opportunity coming up.”

Teens can be vaccinated any place the Pfizer vaccine is already given out. On Wednesday, Murphy said he could not comment yet on whether New Jersey will require children and teens to get the coronavirus vaccine to go back to school in September.

Camden County's COVID-19 Vaccination Center is located in the Papiano Gym at Camden County College, 200 College Drive in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township. The Vaccination Center is currently open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The center is now accepting walk-ins and is taking appointments at camdencountyvaccine.com. Anyone with questions about the vaccine or their child's specific health conditions should consult their doctor, officials said.

To keep up with the latest vaccination news, visit Patch's New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccination Information Hub.

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