Weather cancellations further delay NJ vax effort

This week's winter storm is one for the ages. New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow says you'd have to go back to the 1800s to find a storm that dumped more snow on New Jersey. Most of New Jersey remains shut today.

The latest Winter Weather Alert information is here.

The storm has caused the state to keep vaccination sites closed for a second day, which is adding to confusion and delays scheduling vaccination appointments.

Here is the latest vaccination news for New Jersey:

Vax sites closed - Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all state vaccination mega-sites closed for a second straight day. Staffers have been scrambling to reschedule appointments scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. Each appointment is being rescheduled individually. You should be notified of the change by phone, text or email. Depending on where you were scheduled to receive your shot, you will be rescheduled to Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

Second doses? - The waiting list for a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is months long, if you can even get an appointment. For many, getting scheduled for the second dose has been just as difficult. Many of the appointments that were canceled this week were for the second dose. State health officials are scrambling to figure it out, but had few answers Monday.

Vax faster - White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci says he knows vaccine is scarce but virus mutations are adding a sense of urgency to get as many shots in arms as quickly as possible. More people vaccinated limits the number of hosts — and opportunities for the virus to replicate and mutate. The current vaccines, as well as the new candidate from Johnson & Johnson, are showing to be less effective against mutating strains of the COVID found in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil.

J&J vax promising - Despite reports that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not as effective as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Dr. Anthony Fauci says it is not a huge concern. J&J announced its vaccine was 85% effective at preventing severe cases of infection and, Fauci says, "When you look at serious disease, hospitalizations and death, it has a profound effect on that." Fauci says the J&J vaccine is also effective against known COVID mutations.

More N.J. Top News: