COVID Vaccine Center In Livingston Closes; Here Are Options And Case Numbers

LIVINGSTON, NJ — After more than a year of offering free COVID vaccines to Essex County residents, the county's vaccination and testing center at the Livingston Mall closed on Saturday.

"We appreciate the confidence and trust the public put in us during the difficult times of the pandemic," said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo on Saturday.

But with a new bivalent vaccine available to target new variants, and numbers tending to rise during the holidays, the county will still offer mobile vaccination centers that stop in different towns.

(Read local information here about the new bivalent booster for kids age 5-11.)

People can also get vaccines at pharmacies like CVS, at doctors' offices, and other medical offices.

A county spokesperson said Tuesday, "We are still operating the mobile locations. After Thanksgiving we will have a new set of mobile sites that we will be visiting. We are just doing vaccines; testing is not available."

The County of Essex reported Tuesday that there were two new COVID deaths confirmed in the county since the day before: One in Belleville and one in East Orange.

There were 112 new cases reported in Essex County since the day before (there may be people testing at home who did not report). 3,431 people have died from COVID in Essex County since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 in the U.S.

Hospitalization And Death Rates

While COVID vaccines and new treatments have reduced the death toll and hospitalization rate for COVID — thousands of people died in New Jersey during the first full month of the pandemic in April 2020 — it's still taking lives.

Medical professionals have said that as with flu shots, the vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.

There are 1,069 people currently hospitalized who are positive for COVID, 100 in intensive care and 37 of those on ventilators, the state said. One new confirmed COVID death was reported statewide on Monday and another nine Tuesday.

The CDC advises people with symptoms to get tested as soon as possible, particularly those in high risk groups, as there are new treatments that can be effective if administered in the first few days. If positive, talk with a medical professional about what to do. READ: What Happens If I Test Positive?

EssexCountyNJ.org has a schedule of mobile vaccination units. The red box in the middle of the
webpage has a link named “Essex County COVID-19 Vaccine locations.”