Today, Governor Murphy announced that there were 5,791 new positive cases and an additional 112 confirmed deaths resulting from COVID-19. To date, there have been 516,608 confirmed cases, and 17,697 confirmed deaths. The rate of transmission is 1.02. Since August, there have been 557 cases linked to 111 school outbreaks.
Earlier in the week, the Governor announced that the general public can pre-register for eligibility for the vaccine online. Individuals will be permitted to input their personal, contact, health insurance, and demographic information. For those who are immediately eligible based on screening, questions will be able to schedule an appointment. Please note that during peak times, there may be capacity issues that result in a message to try later. We ask that you share this information with your community.
On Wednesday the Governor announced that uniformed police and firefighters, including volunteers, are now eligible to receive the COVID 19 vaccine under Phase 1A. Phase 1A individuals can get vaccinated by registering for a vaccine on the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System, or by making an appointment at one of the designated COVID-19 Vaccine locations.
The State continues to ask residents to download and use the new Covid Alert NJ, the State’s exposure notification smartphone app.
Since our last update, Governor Murphy has issued no COVID-19 related Executive Orders.
The Department of Labor announced that unemployed workers would begin receiving $300 in supplemental unemployment benefits early next week, for the first week of eligibility under the expanded CARES Act. For the week ending January 2 the initial weekly unemployment claims total 20,986, a 2.6% increase from the prior week.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Assistant Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481 x112.