Gov. Phil Murphy

Gov. Phil Murphy said the six mega-sites will be able to provide shots to people in Phase 1A, which includes health care workers and other vulnerable populations, and some in Phase 1B, which includes other essential workers. 

The vaccine by Pfizer received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 11. A second vaccine by Moderna is expected to be approved as well.

Because the Moderna vaccine does not require deep-freeze storage, which the Pfizer vaccine does, more hospitals will be able to carry the Moderna vaccine. New Jersey could receive as many as 154,000 vaccines in Moderna’s first shipment. 

The FDA still has to vote on whether to grant authorization, Gov. Phil Murphy said, but if the FDA grants it, the vaccine will arrive in New Jersey within a matter of days. 

In a worst-case scenario, as many as 12,595 new cases could be reported on Jan. 14, with 8,747 people in the hospital. Of the hospital patients, 1,679 patients would be in intensive care, and 1,088 patients would be on ventilators. 

The move will streamline the COVOID-19 vaccination process, Gov. Phil Murphy said. Full state enrollment will help health officials track how many people receive the vaccine, and ensure recipients get the required second dose from the correct vaccine and people don’t accidentally get duplicate vaccines. 

The new case level exceeds the high points of the pandemic’s first wave, which saw approximately 4,800 new cases on several days in April. 

The state has a goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults in New Jersey over the next six months. Health care workers are expected to be given priority for the first shipments of the vaccine, followed by other vulnerable populations, and then the general public. 

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring bodycams for all patrol officers in the state, but funding is still a question.

As COVID cases in Montclair began to climb in mid-November, school district officials postponed the Nov. 16 and Nov. 30 reopenings and said they would reassess the opening timeline on Dec. 1.