Congressman Kim - Coronavirus Update – April 2023
As you may know, the public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic will end on May 11, 2023. As such, this will be the last COVID newsletter from our office. You can always find additional resources on Congressman Kim’s website and we hope you’ll sign up to keep in touch with us on other topics here.
NJ COVID-19 Cases Update (as of 4/10/23 at 10:30 a.m.)
- +501 NEW COVID-19 cases statewide
- 7-day average of NEW cases a day: 534
- +5 NEW fatalities / total (cumulative) fatalities in New Jersey: 32,970
- 78% of New Jersey residents of all eligible ages are fully vaccinated
- +9 NEW cases in Burlington County
- The COVID-19 community risk level in Burlington County is currently low.
- 78% of Burlington County residents of all eligible ages are vaccinated
- 15 Long Term Care facilities with ACTIVE outbreaks
- +93 NEW cases in Mercer County
- The COVID-19 community risk level in Mercer County is currently low.
- 74% of Mercer County residents of all eligible ages are vaccinated
- 6 Long Term Care facilities with ACTIVE outbreaks
- +25 NEW cases in Monmouth County
- The COVID-19 community risk level in Monmouth County is currently low.
- 70% of Monmouth County residents of all eligible ages are vaccinated
- 18 Long Term Care facilities with ACTIVE outbreaks
Visit COVID19.nj.gov for the most up-to-date information and access to the full data dashboard.
You can also download the COVID Alert NJ Mobile App, for iPhone or Android.
Updates from the White House, State and Congressman Kim
- Beginning April 14th, every Friday the Burlington County Health Department will offer COVID-19 vaccines to Burlington County residents from 2 PM to 4 PM at 15 Pioneer Boulevard, Westampton, NJ 08060. No appointment necessary.
- The Burlington County Testing Site in Willingboro will close after Friday, April 28th. Find further information on COVID-19 testing in Burlington County and other test options online.
- Upcoming COVID-19 pediatric vaccine clinics hosted by the Mercer County Division of Public Health (walk-ins welcome for those 6 months to 11 years old only, Pfizer and Moderna primary and bivalent boosters will be available):
- April 29th at Mercer County Library System Lawrence Headquarters Branch from 10 AM to 11:30 AM.
- Upcoming COVID-19 vaccine clinics hosted by the Mercer County Division of Public Health (all ages welcome, all doses will be available):
- May 3rd and June 7th at 1440 Parkside Ave, Ewing, NJ from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
- May 9th at Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy St. Trenton, NJ 08608 from 2 PM to 4 PM
- Upcoming COVID-19 vaccine clinics hosted by the Monmouth County Department of Health (walk-ins welcome ages 6 months and up):
- April 12th from 4 PM to 6 PM at the Neptune Senior Center, 1607 NJ-33, Neptune, 07753
- April 19th from 4 PM to 6 PM at the Middletown Health Department, 1 Kings Highway, Middletown, 07748
- April 26th from 4 PM to 6 PM at the Howell Senior Center, 251 Preventorium Rd. Howell, 07731
- Starting April 4th, Monmouth County's Tuesday vaccine clinics will continue at Monmouth County Health Department from 3 PM to 6 PM. Monmouth County’s Brookdale Community College Vaccine Clinic ended on March 28th.
CDC Mask Recommendations
CDC mask recommendations are based on their COVID-19 Community Level tool, which was released in February. The metrics are based on hospitalizations and case rates. CDC metrics available online are updated every Thursday.
As of today, Burlington, Mercer, and Monmouth Counties are considered LOW RISK, according to the CDC. Therefore, federal recommendation is that people may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a high-quality mask or respirator when indoors in public.
Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness. If you are at high risk for severe illness, it may be helpful to talk with your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms
As of today, 0 counties in New Jersey are currently considered high risk.
While these recommendations do not trigger any mask requirements in New Jersey, N95 masks are still available for free at pharmacies, retailers, and community health centers.
General COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Anyone six-months old or above who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information about current eligibility, statewide vaccination site locations, and to preregister for vaccination, visit COVID-19.nj.gov/vaccine.
The New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center can also be reached at: 1-855-568-0545
Find additional vaccination information specific for veterans, businesses, seniors, and children online and/or request a new copy of your vaccination card.
Booster Information
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters by checking the latest information on the CDC’s website.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.
Information on Clinical Considerations & Mixing COVID-19 Vaccine Products:
Primary series
CDC does not recommend mixing products for your primary series doses. If you received Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax for the first dose of your primary series, you should get the same product for all following primary series doses.
Boosters
- Updated (bivalent) boosters became available on:
- September 2, 2022, for people 12 years of age and older
- October 12, 2022, for people aged 5–11
- December 9, 2022, for people aged 6 months to 5 years.
- CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines for their age group:
- Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19.
- If you recently had COVID-19, you may consider delaying your next vaccine dose (primary dose or booster) by 3 months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you first received a positive test.
The CDC considers people to be up to date if:
- They have completed their primary series and the most recent booster recommended for them.
Additional clinical considerations and guidance from the CDC is available and updated on a rolling basis.
COVID-19 Testing
You can find a testing location near you here and here, order a free saliva test shipped directly to your door online, or find out more information about public testing sites, including pop-up sites.
The NJ Department of Health and Vault Medical Services are continuing to offer free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits. These are available to all, even if you are symptom-free. To order a free test kit, visit learn.vaulthealth.com/nj.
For those who are blind or have low-vision, more accessible testing options can be ordered online or by calling 1-800-232-0233.
You can also purchase up to eight at-home, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests a month upfront and then submit a claim for reimbursement to your insurance company. If you purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 test from a pharmacy, store, or online retailer and are charged for your test, keep your receipt and submit a claim to your insurance company for reimbursement. People with Medicare can get up to eight tests per month from participating pharmacies and health care providers. Here is a list of the pharmacies participating in Medicare’s over-the-counter tests initiative.
Additional Resources
We have compiled additional COVID-19 information and resources regarding transportation, returning to work, rental assistance, funeral reimbursement, and healthcare subsidies.
Where Can I Get More Information and Updates From Congressman Kim?
If you or someone you know would like to receive any of the following newsletters from Congressman Kim, please sign up here:
- Weekly E-Newsletter
- Senior Living Newsletter
- Guide to Grants Newsletter
- Veterans Newsletter
- Small Business Newsletter
Contact us if you need help from our office with a Federal Agency.
If you are a nonprofit agency or write grants, you can find more information on grant applications and our Guides to Grants newsletter here.
Our office receives regular inquiries about where to find essential resources. To help constituents, we’ve developed lists of resources in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District and beyond. This list includes organizations with a wide variety of purposes.
Through these challenging years, it was important to us that we try to connect as many in the community as we could with the latest available information and resources. We are proud of our community’s perseverance and will never forget the efforts of healthcare workers and everyone on the frontlines battling the pandemic and caring for our loved ones, friends, and families.
We are always here to be a resource for you and to connect you with available information. You can find resources on Congressman Kim’s website and you can sign up for additional newsletters here. Any future updates regarding COVID-19 will be included in our general newsletter that we send weekly, as well as our other newsletters as needed.
As always, please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you’re in need of assistance.
The Office of Congressman Andy Kim
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