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COURT HOUSE – As frustration grows with the vaccine rollout, municipalities across the county are mobilizing what help they can provide for those unable to navigate the variety of appointment scheduling sites, all of which were impacted by the shortage of doses.
When two vaccines gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency authorization in December 2020, a light seemed to go on at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel.
The first New Jerseyan vaccinated was a nurse at University Hospital, in Newark, Dec. 15. Over 250 sites sprang up around the state, and the process appeared to be straightforward.
The state established a registration website, where individuals can provide information about their age, work environment, and history of specific health problems.
The site confirms the registration and notifies individuals when they are eligible for an appointment, based on a priority system for the vaccine’s distribution.
The logistics promised to be challenging, but the process appeared to be manageable and open. Then, theory gave way to reality, and the management of that reality became more challenging than expected.
Problems began when the expected level of doses didn’t materialize. States were left to manage their distribution, while unsure what their allotment from the federal government would be.
The priority groups, including frontline health care workers, had fewer takers of the vaccine than planned, an unexpected outcome to which the state did not react with agility.
Reports this week are that New Jersey received about 1.25 million doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracking system. The state dashboard shows about 840,000 doses were administered, or about two-thirds of the vaccine received.
From the start, Gov. Phil Murphy pointed to the large number of doses not yet administered, claiming the gap was, in part, due to the slow start-up of the federal Pharmacy Program, a partnership between the federal government and two major pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens.
Doses were set aside for that partnership to run vaccination programs at long-term care sites.
The state Jan. 13 announced eligibility for all individuals over the age of 65. Confusion abounded. Available doses couldn’t deal with the surging demand from those deemed eligible.
The state moved to set up six mega-sites, the closest to Cape May County being the Atlantic City Convention Center. The Atlantic City site had a separate appointment scheduling system, adding to the confusion.
The same is true for the ShopRite Pharmacies, which the state designated as vaccination locations. The new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic, in Rio Grande, ran its own vaccination event, for which veterans were not notified through the state registration system.
Getting an appointment has been the equivalent of figuring out which shell the pea is under. One may have registered, had their registration confirmed, received an email saying they belong to a group that is eligible, and received the email telling them to make an appointment.
None of that matters if one is not persistently checking the various sites, sometimes multiple times a day. Those unable to navigate the computer with ease are at a greater disadvantage.
Municipalities are stepping up to help reduce the confusion.
At a Feb. 2 Stone Harbor Borough Council meeting, the municipality announced they were going to set up a borough hotline to answer questions and help people navigate the registration and appointment systems. Councilwoman Jennifer Gensemer personally helped residents get registered at the Atlantic City mega-site.
The next day, Cape May established hours when council members and volunteers, led by Deputy Mayor Stacy Sheehan, would be available at City Hall to aid those confused about steps they need to take.
Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio launched a vaccination registration assistance program, even going so far as to provide a city email address to those without one, a required item in the state process.
In Avalon, an “ask a question” feature on the borough website provides a personal response to inquiries. Susan Keen, who heads the borough’s senior center, is also active in helping those who need assistance with the process.
Towns across the county are trying to help people understand and navigate a process that should not be as complicated as it is. The county set up a hotline, at 609-463-6581, to respond to vaccine-related questions.
State data shows that Cape May County leads other counties in the state in the number of residents fully vaccinated per 1,000 of the population, but slightly less than 3,000 individuals received both doses, with almost 14,000 total doses administered across all sites.
It is a rate that will not have the county well protected by the start of the summer. The single largest impediment is the supply of the vaccine.
State and county reporting gives no insight into where the doses were distributed and the populations receiving them. With the mega-sites, ShopRite Pharmacies, Cape May County Health Department, and long-term care effort, it is impossible to parse the 14,000 doses to see where they were administered. There is also no data on what doses have been distributed and not yet administered across the various sites.
What is available – the gross number of doses distributed to New Jersey from the CDC tracking system and the state’s data on the total number of administered doses per county.
The confusing information on multiple ways to get an appointment, the lack of transparency on where the doses were distributed, and the lack of data that would allow readers to see how many doses were distributed to all sites in Cape May County contribute to the opaque nature of the process.
The municipalities are mustering what help they can provide. County officials are calling for continued patience. The state and federal governments are saying more doses are on the way.
Rumors of people “jumping the line” through influence or friendships continue to make their rounds on social media. Confusion and frustration grow.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
