What you need to know
- New Jerseyans had brief access to Hackensack Meridian Health’s vaccine registration portal, despite the limited eligibility reserved so far for health care and first aid personnel.
- Hackensack Meridian says it will email those who are not yet qualified who will cancel their appointments
- More than 214,000 people in the state have already been inoculated with the vaccine, Murphy reported in his briefing Monday; about 15,000 of this group have received the first and second shots
New Jersey residents began enrolling to receive COVID-19 vaccines over the weekend, except they are not supposed to be able to do so unless they are health personnel, law enforcement, professionals against fires or lifeguards.
Hackensack Meridian Health system, the largest hospital system in the state, says Sunday that its vaccine registration portal was opened to anyone with the link because it had no filter to ensure vaccine priority groups 1A and 1B were the only people who could sign up.
The link to the registry began communicating with people from other groups and an unknown number of people signed up, according to the hospital system.
Hackensack Meridian says it will email those who are not yet qualified who will cancel their appointments.
“We’ve added additional educational information as well as improved identification requirements to ensure that only those eligible for the vaccine receive it, in accordance with federal and New Jersey guidelines,” Hackensack said in a statement to NBC New York .
Meanwhile, IT engineers are working all night to put a filter on their registration portal. A spokesman for the hospital system added that no one who was not qualified to receive a dose has received any shots at this time.
“We understand that many of our communities are eager to get vaccinated. Once allowed under state and federal guidelines, we will make the vaccine available to the general public,” the statement continued.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced last week that police and firefighters were eligible for the vaccine. Healthcare workers and patients in long-term care centers continue to have the highest priority for obtaining the vaccine.
More than 214,000 people in the state have already been inoculated with the vaccine, Murphy said in his briefing Monday. About 15,000 of this group have received their first and second shots. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the aim is to end the vaccination of health workers and essential workers (more than 3 million people in total) by May.
The state’s COVID scorecard has been expanded to show a breakdown between counties, as well as gender, race, and ethnic demographics of the vaccinated population of New Jersey.
Gov. Murphy is scheduled to deliver his state of the state address Tuesday at 1 p.m.