NJ hits 'initial goal' of 4.7M fully vaccinated against COVID-19

NEWARK — At the same hospital where New Jersey's first COVID-19 vaccine shot was administered six months prior, Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday announced the state had surpassed a goal he and Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli set, for 4.7 million people who live, work, or attend school in the state to be fully vaccinated by June 30.

That number was selected because it represented, as of vaccine rollout discussions Murphy said began last October, approximately 70% of the state's adult population, a percentage public health officials have said is the minimum threshold for "herd immunity" against the novel coronavirus.

However, that ratio may have shifted based on 2020 Census figures, so Murphy said the state's targeted vaccination push will continue, particularly in underserved communities, referring to 4.7 million as an "initial goal."

"Through Operation Jersey Summer, we're going to continue to reach deep into every community, alongside respected community voices, to push even higher," Murphy said at University Hospital in Newark.

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Murphy also used the achievement of this "self-appointed deadline" to announce that legislation jointly sponsored by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin will name the Department of Health's new Trenton facility "The Judith M. Persichilli Department of Health Building," in honor of the commissioner who has led the state through the pandemic.

"Governor, I don't even know what to say, except that it's a pretty long name, so it's got to be a pretty big building, I don't understand," Persichilli joked.

Murphy and Persichilli were joined Friday by Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Persichilli's predecessor and the current president and CEO of University Hospital, and Maritza Beniquez, the nurse who received New Jersey's first COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2020.

As of Friday afternoon's dashboard update, 4,748,031 eligible New Jerseyans have been fully vaccinated. Statewide rate of transmission was at 0.91, indicative of a continued deceleration of virus spread, and 312 people were hospitalized with confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases.

New Jersey has registered 1,020,830 confirmed or probable COVID cases since March 2020, with 26,368 confirmed or probable deaths, according to the state's data.

Patrick Lavery is New Jersey 101.5's afternoon news anchor. Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.

NJ's most and least COVID vaccinated towns, by county

New Jersey reported just short of 4 million people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 statewide, heading into the last week of May. So how does that break down across all 21 counties?

And, how can some communities show a vaccination rate of more than 100%, according to state data? Reasons include people who have moved, those who are traveling and not residing at home where the census counted them, students who may select their school residence for vaccination data and people in long-term care (or other facility-based housing) among other reasons, as explained in a footnote on the state COVID dashboard.