SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey is looking at reopening some of its megasites as soon as the FDA and CDC determine whether vaccinated people need COVID-19 boosters.
The state could open three of the six megasites it established in the spring to distribute COVID-19 vaccine doses, should the FDA recommend boosters for fully vaccinated people.
At his regular coronavirus briefing in Trenton, Gov. Phil Murphy said the state is waiting for guidance from the feds.
“We are continuing to ramp up capacity, whether it be reopening megasites or pushing additional doses out to other distribution points,” he said. “We are working hard to be able to meet what we anticipate will be a very high demand.”
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According to Murphy, the question of who boosters should go to first — like people who got their last shot six or eight months ago — will help determine New Jersey’s response.
“I’d say this is a work in progress,” he said. “To put it differently, do you need as many megasites if the list of eligible folks at first is not as big? And that’s something that we … are wargaming as we speak.”
New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said one megasite could open shortly after a booster recommendation comes down.
“We expect to have at least one megasite up almost immediately, if not Sept. 20, shortly after that,” she said. “ We expect two other megasites within the state to cover the regions — north, central and south.”
Which of the six megasites would reopen has yet to be determined, Murphy said.
“We’d like certainly sooner than later, as you can imagine, which we don’t have yet from the feds,” he added.