PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gov. Phil Murphy is proud of where New Jersey is at right now in its ongoing efforts to administer COVID-19 vaccines to as many people as possible.
The state has administered 2.5 million vaccine doses in all — including 1 million within a recent three-week stretch and 500,000 just in the last week.
New Jersey ranks eighth among all states in doses administered daily, and 10th in total doses given. The Garden State is also above the national averages in terms of the percent of the population that has received both first and second shots.
“We’re not in the end zone, but the progress is undeniable,” Murphy said Monday at his coronavirus briefing.
He expects those numbers to incrementally increase for the rest of March.
“And then you’re going to see a quantum jump up,” he said, “I think somewhere around the week of March 29 or April 5. A combination of J&J coming fully on the line with Merck and other help, but also the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines having been committed by those two organizations to increase their productions.”
Until then, the goal remains the same: “We are moving forward to maximize every dose we have and to make sure we reach as many folks who live, work and study in New Jersey as possible.”
If you’re one of many New Jerseyeans who still hasn’t been able to make a vaccine appointment, Murphy asks for patience.
“We completely understand your anxiety,” he said, “but make no mistake: Every New Jerseyean who wishes to be vaccinated will be vaccinated, and vaccinated soon.”
He said he’d be surprised if there are still people in the state who need a shot by Memorial Day.
Two community-based vaccination sites opened at churches in New Jersey Monday morning, which should help move things along. One of those sites is in Camden; the other in Jersey City.