Rep. Payne, Jr. Applauds FEMA for New Federal Vaccine Center in Essex County
Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. applauded the Biden Administration's decision to open a new COVID-19 federal vaccination distribution center in Essex County. It is one of three nationwide that can vaccinate an additional 6,000 people per day when fully operational and it opens today at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. Rep. Payne, Jr. wrote a letter to FEMA to request the center and praised the White House for implementing it in such a timely manner to benefit northern New Jersey.
"Essex County needed this center more than almost any county nationwide because this area was one of the hardest hit by COVID-19," said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. "During this global pandemic, Essex County had one of the highest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the country. It could still have a large population of people who are carrying the disease, but don't show any symptoms for it. This new federal vaccination center would increase vaccination rates in the county, eliminate the disease from asymptomatic carriers, and protect all residents from future infections."
The FEMA site will help New Jersey focus on providing support to vulnerable communities. As part of this pilot, FEMA selected Essex County because it has a sizable vulnerable community and it could serve similar communities in Hudson, Passaic, and Union counties. For this site, the federal government will provide 6,000 doses per day, operating seven days a week with personnel to run the site for eight weeks.
The site is part of President Biden's goal to provide the American public equitable access to vaccines and builds on Rep. Payne, Jr.'s previous advocacy for vaccine distribution. In February, he sent a letter to President Biden and asked him to prioritize vaccine distribution for educators. The Biden Administration later announced on March 3rd that all teachers would be able to receive vaccines by the end of March. In addition, Rep. Payne, Jr. is working with New Jersey officials to ensure that the state can meet these goals and receive all the support necessary from the federal government.
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