Mayor Janice Mironov and Members of Council -- Denise Daniels, Anthony Katawick, Marc Lippman, David Russell, Johnnie Whittington and John Zoller -- Present

January 17, 2021

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) VACCINATION INFORMATION UPDATES

MESSAGE FROM MAYOR JANICE MIRONOV
TO EAST WINDSOR RESIDENTS

Our municipality and other towns around are receiving an extremely high volume of resident calls and emails about making an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. So let me share with you the good news and the real news. Federal approvals for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were issued in December and vaccines are slowly making their way down to states, counties and into our communities. The Governor announced that, as of January 14, seniors over the age of 65, and anyone between the ages of 16 and 64 with certain preexisting medical conditions as defined by the CDC are eligible for vaccines, (CLICK HERE).

Eligibility is one thing. Actually having vaccines and the infrastructure to administer them is quite another. The recent announcement by the Governor opened the floodgates inundating and overwhelming local municipalities and health departments throughout the state. Not only are there not enough vaccines to accommodate these populations, there was no concrete plan at the Federal, State or County levels with enough personnel to actually administer them, and they must now play catch-up. Without ample supply of available vaccines and operating sites, it is not possible to immediately meet the growing list of persons qualifying to be vaccinated.

The FIRST thing to do is: All citizens eligible for and wishing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are strongly encouraged to pre-register on the State of New Jersey scheduling system (CLICK HERE). You will be notified via email when an appointment is available to you. Due to the limited supply of vaccines, you are asked to be patient and wait to be notified by email about a vaccination appointment. Even if you are pursuing a vaccination appointment through another means, you are still advised meanwhile to sign up. As vaccines become available, opportunities to make an appointment to receive the vaccine will be easier to come by.

Mayors had an encouraging call with Mercer County on January 14, wherein the County stated regional vaccination sites will be established at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, commencing January 28 and at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton to be managed by Capital Health, commencing January 20. Township officials are awaiting full details. A list of current statewide Vaccination locations can be accessed here (CLICK HERE). The Township has partnered with surrounding towns, with very limited vaccine supplies, to start up and continue vaccinating group 1A first responders, health care workers, police officers and firefighters. That vaccine supply currently is totally insufficient to accommodate state newly announced eligible persons. As area vaccine supplies and capacity permits, we will announce any new opportunities to get vaccinated.

Residents also are strongly urged to tell everyone to sign-up for the Township E-News (CLICK HERE) and Nixle Text Alerts (CLICK HERE), to receive up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccinations.

We surely are on a path toward a brighter place. But we need everyone to recognize and understand the current facts on the ground, and please to be patient. Keep the faith, as we will see improvements, hopefully soon, we will keep you informed, and we will get there together.

MAYOR JANICE S. MIRONOV

Residents are advised to check the Township website at www.east-windsor.nj.us, read E-News Alerts, tune into Community Access TV Comcast Channel 27 and Verizon Channel 38, or call the municipal information hotline at (609) 443-4000, ext. 400, for schedule updates.