When Debby Sue Barratt made her appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Camden County College in Blackwood, she had a few concerns.
She didn’t know if she was going to have to wait in line for hours, or if she could use the restroom, or if people would be too close to her, or if she would see someone experience an allergic reaction to the vaccine.
But all of those concerns proved unfounded when she received the vaccine two weeks ago and was quickly and effortlessly whisked through the process by a series of healthcare workers.
“It was smooth, it was easy, it was organized,” Barratt, 53, told NJ Advance Media. “It really was a piece of cake so I was grateful.”
As New Jersey continues to dole out allotted vaccines across the state, many South Jersey officials are reporting seamless and efficient processes at county-run vaccination sites, with the only challenge involving a scarcity of vaccines.
In Camden County, officials have administered 68,000 doses, according to the latest state data. Out of that total figure, more than 50,500 have been first doses and more than 17,400 have been second doses.
Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli said the county hired 50 healthcare workers to staff the site in Blackwood, which is a partnership between the county, Cooper University Health Care and Jefferson Health - New Jersey.
Although workers are administering 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine a week, Cappelli said the county has the capacity to distribute up to 2,000 doses per day, if given the supply.
“Our biggest obstacle is just not enough supply,” he said.
The process is seamless, Cappelli said. Residents arrive at the site, are escorted in by a security guard, and have their temperature taken. Registration is confirmed, a date for the second shot is provided, and the person receives the vaccination.
The person is observed for 15 minutes following the shot to monitor any potential reactions, and they’re done, Cappelli said.
Appointments are booked through August, but Cappelli encouraged eligible residents to schedule one, even if it’s far in advance. People are often moved up, since it’s a fluid situation dependent on the number of doses, he added.
Camden County Public Health Nurse Margarita Camacho gives a vaccination at a vaccination site at Camden County College.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
In Atlantic County, a similar process is taking place, public health officer Patricia Diamond said.
The county’s mega vaccination site at the Atlantic City Convention Center opened on Jan. 22 with about 240 Pfizer doses a day, Diamond said. Now, more than 1,000 doses are being administered per day at the site.
More than 36,800 doses have been administered in the county, according to state data. More than 28,000 of those have been first doses, while there have been more than 8,400 second doses.
Appointments for second doses are scheduled when a person receives their first dose, Diamond said. There are 20 vaccination stations at the mega site, with healthcare professionals from AtlantiCare, medics from FEMA, and the county’s medical reserve corp staffing the site.
Maharshi Patel, who received his vaccine at the county’s mega site on Jan. 23, said he was impressed with how the facility was managed. The entire process took roughly 20 minutes.
“It might look scary going into the site, but it was actually a lot easier,” Patel, 30, said. The site also provided free parking, he added.
Cumberland County has administered more than 17,000 vaccine doses, according to state data. More than 12,700 of those have been first doses while more than 4,200 have been second doses.
Donald Fauerbach, executive director for the county’s health department, said the county-run site has been going well and they’ve received compliments about the site’s safety and efficiency.
The site is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the latter day reserved for second doses. Lack of vaccine doses is why the site is not open every day, Fauerbach said. The county and the city of Vineland — which has its own health department — each receive 500 doses per week.
“So between the two of us we get 1,000 (doses). And we administer them in one day,” he said, referring to the county. “We do 500 doses with eight or less nurses doing the injections in less than six hours.”
Gloucester County officials did not respond to a request for comment.
However, in Salem County, a lack of vaccine doses is not an issue — instead, it’s a lack of resources, according to June Sieber, the county’s director of health and human services.
Roughly 7,530 vaccine doses have been administered so far, according to state data. Of those doses, more than 5,900 have been first doses and more than 1,600 have been second doses.
There are only two vaccine sites in the county and they are at their capacity, Sieber said. Nurses rotate in and out from the local community college, health department, and even the county’s jail has offered their nursing staff to help administer doses.
“It’s just (that) we’re at our capacity,” she said. “I would love to have a FEMA site or someone to come in. We just don’t have the resources.”
Sieber said she keeps complaining to the state about the lack of resources, since other common locations for vaccinations — ShopRite stores and CVS stores — are non-existent in the county.
But the county’s health department has done what they can, Sieber said, to streamline the process for making an appointment. Many seniors reside in the county, some of whom don’t have internet access or are unable to navigate the websites online.
So the department partnered with the Office of Aging & Disabilities to open a call center, staffed with two volunteers during certain hours, and an email process for residents to directly schedule appointments. When contacted, the email address immediately replies with a SurveyMonkey link to fill out information to make a vaccine appointment, Sieber said.
If no one answers the call center phone, a resident can leave a message and their call will be returned. Sieber estimates there are roughly 1,200 seniors on the waitlist, who are waiting to receive an appointment time and date.
“At some point we’re going to have to stop it and get caught up,” Sieber said. “I think the seniors feel good just knowing they’ve gotten through to somebody and they are on a waitlist.”
The county also offers free transportation for seniors and disabled residents to the vaccine site that runs all the time, Sieber said.
“We will get through it. It would be nice if we could have a little help,” she said. “I don’t think people really realize. (Salem County) is small but sometimes that’s even a bigger challenge.”
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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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