PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More than 600,000 vaccine shots have now been given in New Jersey, the majority of those being first doses. The state is now getting to the point where many people are ready for their second dose, or at least want to know when their next shot will happen.
During Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli tried to answer questions and ease concerns she’s been hearing lately.
“If you received a first dose vaccination through the state’s scheduling system at covidvaccine.nj.gov, you will receive an automatically scheduled second dose appointment this weekend,” she said.
She said residents should keep an eye out for an email confirmation containing the full details of that appointment.
If you didn’t use the state’s system and instead got your first shot by booking directly with a clinic, Persichilli said you’ll have to reach out to that site to make your appointment for your second dose.
“If you received a first dose at the Gloucester County megasite before they brought up the state’s scheduling system,” she added, “you will be contacted directly by that site. The Gloucester County megasite has already begun contacting individuals to schedule their second dose appointment.”
Persichilli said the New Jersey Health Department has been in contact with all sites to make sure they know to schedule an appointment for the second dose before the person leaves after getting their first shot.
Even after President Joe Biden’s Tuesday announcement that states will be getting more vaccines, Persichilli said at the moment the supply is still very limited.
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For that reason, she said the recommended wait time of 21 days for the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 28 days for Moderna has some wiggle room.
“There is no known loss of efficacy of the second dose as long as someone receives that second dose within six weeks of receiving the first dose,” she explained. “So we don’t want anyone to panic if it’s not exactly at the 21-day or 28-day limit.”
Starting Sunday, New Jersey’s new COVID-19 vaccine call center, which opened Monday morning, will start taking questions about the second dose.
For now, the mission of the call center is to help residents schedule their first shot appointment — elderly residents in particular.
The center’s number is 855-568-0545.