Paterson will begin vaccinating health care workers against Covid-19 on December 28
By Jayed Rahman
Published: December 23, 2020
Municipal health officials are rolling out the city’s Covid-19 vaccination program, beginning with the inoculation of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and public health employees on December 28.
Vaccinations will begin on Monday morning at the Division of Health at 176 Broadway.
“The day we have been waiting for is here,” said mayor Andre Sayegh in a press release on Wednesday. “Our community’s health care workers, including many Paterson EMS and public health employees, have carried us through this crisis. Now they are stepping up not only to protect themselves in order to serve others, but to show that this vaccine is safe and effective. They are leading the way for the rest of us to follow in the weeks and months ahead.”
Health care workers in Paterson can call the Division of Health at 973-321-1288 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to schedule an appointment. They will have to bring employee identification or other documentation showing they work in the health sector.
Vaccine is free, but the city will bill the individual’s health insurance for administration cost. Uninsured residents will not be charged.
The Division of Health received a batch of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday. Sayegh’s press release did not state the quantity of the vaccines received.
St. Joseph’s University Medical Center began vaccinating its employees against Covid-19 late last week. It has vaccinated more than 1,500 employees.
Health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities are in the first phase (Phase 1a) of the three-phase vacation program outlined by the federal government. Essential workers such as firefighters and police as well as people over 75 years of age are part of Phase 1b, and adults with high-risk medical conditions and senior citizens, age 65 and over, are in Phase 1c.
Municipal health officials intend to open a Covid-19 vaccination center at International High School on January 4 to continue Phase 1a vaccinations.
School officials earlier in the month said district nurses will assist in the vaccination program.
The Sayegh administration is also asking health care professionals to volunteer in its vaccination program. Potential volunteers should email [email protected] with their credentials.
Enlisting volunteers and then billing vaccine recipients’ health insurance for administration cost appears to be a sketchy element in Sayegh’s vaccination plan. His administration did not clarify why the city intends to bill insurance if it plans to use volunteer labor.
Email: [email protected]