Rutgers Plaza COVID-19 Vaccination Site Running May 3 – 7

Somerset County’s ancillary COVID-19 vaccination site at Rutgers Plaza on Easton Avenue will be in operation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 3-7.

The vaccine administered from the site will be the Johnson & Johnson version, which requires only one dose. Residents can schedule appointments at the drive-thru clinics by visiting https://covidvaccine.nj.gov/.

The clinic was made available due to the increased number of doses the Somerset County Health Department will receive through the state.

Since late January, Somerset County has been receiving an average of 700 to 1,000 new doses each week but has been prepared to administer significantly more vaccinations, according to a press release about the program. The State of New Jersey informed the SCDoH that it will be receiving 7,000 doses for the week of May 3; 5,000 Moderna doses and 2,000 Johnson & Johnson doses, according to the release.

The administration of the J&J vaccine had been halted after 15 women who received the vaccine developed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, a rare but serious blood clotting condition. The condition was seen in women aged between 18 and 59 years, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After a review by the CDC, the decision was made in late April to resume administering the vaccine, with a warning about the potential side effect.

The Rutgers Plaza site is one of several that will be operational with the increased number of doses being received by the County, according to the press release.

“After months of receiving a thousand or fewer COVID vaccine doses each week, Somerset County is finally seeing a significant increase in our weekly allotment, and we are ready to get the vaccine into residents’ arms quickly and efficiently,” Somerset County Commissioner Doug Singleterry, liaison to the Somerset County Department of Health, said in the release. “We’ve been preparing for this day for three months and encourage everyone to get vaccinated at the clinic that is most convenient to them.”

A drive-through clinic will also be operation at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 3-7, according to the release.

Homebound adult residents can continue to call the Somerset County COVID Hotline at (908) 231-7155 to schedule an appointment to receive the J&J vaccine at their home, according to the release.

Adult residents can also call the Hotline at (908) 231-7155 or use the web form at http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/covidQs to schedule appointments at the Somerset County Senior Wellness Center in Bridgewater, the release said. If all current appointments are full, residents will be placed on a waiting list for the next available appointment. The Wellness Center clinic will operate May 3, 5 and 7 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. with the Moderna vaccine, according to the release

The county health department will also expand availability of the J&J vaccine at mobile walk-up clinics in communities that have lower rates of vaccination, the release said. These clinics will be held in Manville and South Bound Brook during teh week of May 3 at a schedule to be determined. Residents 18 years and older need to show proof of residency in the County, but can walk in without making an appointment. Vaccine doses at the walk-up clinics are limited, and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

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