Secaucus Getting Its Own Vaccine Distribution Site At Rec Center

SECAUCUS, NJ — Not only will Hudson County operate a coronavirus vaccine site in Kearny — which it aims to open before week's end — but tiny Secaucus will have its own vaccine distribution center as well, located right here in town and for Secaucus residents only.

The vaccine distribution site will be located next to the Secaucus Rec Center, and it will be a large white tent, Mayor Mike Gonnelli told Patch in an exclusive interview Tuesday. Residents will start seeing workers set up the tent on Wednesday.

The vaccine will be the Moderna vaccine and it is scheduled to arrive to Secaucus in either the last week of December or the first week of January, said Gonnelli. The first shots will be administered shortly after that.

The town of Secaucus applied for and received a $150,000 federal grant to hire three people to run the vaccine sign-ups; you probably saw the town advertising on Facebook for the positions. Three Secaucus school nurses will actually administer the shots.

The Moderna vaccine requires two separate shots.

"You park and come in the tent; it is not a drive-through site. You get the shot and sit for 15 minutes to check for side effects," said Mayor Gonnelli. "Then you pack up and go and are given an appointment to come back."

Who will get the vaccines? Secaucus of course will follow the order mandated by the U.S. Health & Human Services: Hospital workers will be given it first, followed by emergency personnel such as police and firefighters, then people over 65, and then the general public.

Only Secaucus residents can get the vaccine in the Secaucus tent, said Gonnelli. Residents will be required to sign up in advance online; expect more information to come on that.

"Stay tuned for sign-up information coming online about that," said the mayor.

"The general public has a ways to go in getting this shot, so I am just asking people to be patient," said Mayor Gonnelli. "Our site will be run very well and smoothly."

The vaccine will either be paid for by insurance, if you have it, or given for free if you do not. The town of Secaucus is paying to have the entire Secaucus police department vaccinated.

Nobody will be forced to or required to get the vaccine.

Hudson County’s first Vaccine Distribution Center is called the USS Juneau site and it is located at 110 Hackensack Avenue, Kearny. The county aims to open it by the end of this week. All of Hudson County's hospitals — including Hudson Regional in Secaucus — started giving out the vaccine Monday to front-line doctors and staff. As we reported, Gonnelli was scheduled to get the vaccine but he demurred, saying it should go to healthcare workers.

"They only have 100 (at Hudson Regional)," he said. "I am not going to take someone else's place who should be getting it. But I am very excited to get it; I can't wait. I am not concerned about side effects. My biggest concern is how long will the vaccine last?"

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