TRENTON, N.J. — Looking forward to the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic response, Mercer County has opened a COVID-19 vaccination facility at CURE Arena in Trenton this week.
The vaccination clinic will be a partnership of the CURE Arena with Capital Health, which will manage the site, announced County Executive Brian M. Hughes recently.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to help get eligible people vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Mr. Hughes said.
“We had a successful partnership with Capital Health during the COVID-19 testing program we established last spring, and I can’t think of a more fitting partner for this next phase of the pandemic response – the vaccination phase,” he said.
Like other vaccination sites, the arena facility will be for those eligible under the state’s phasing plan that is designed to prioritized those who are most at risk.
The public is advised to pre-register to receive vaccinations through the New Jersey Vaccination Scheduling System at https://covidvaccine.nj.gov.
Pre-registered individuals who are eligible will be notified when to make a vaccination appointment.
All vaccination sites currently require appointments.
State officials said they will have a consumer call center up and running soon, to assist people without Internet access for scheduling appointments, and to help answer general inquiries and questions.
Mercer County is also working on opening other sites, such as the new site at Mercer County Community College (MCCC).
The CURE Insurance Arena and MCCC locations will supplement, not replace, smaller vaccination sites including those currently being operated by municipal health departments and other health care facilities in Mercer County.
Vice President of Clinical Performance at Capital Health Louis F. D’Amelio, M.D., FACS, who manages the CURE Arena site said, “Capital Health has been taking an organized approach to meet the needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
On partnering with the CURE Arena, he said, “we are excited to get started because we know that every vaccine we administer will help save a life and is a step closer to ensuring community protection against COVID-19…”
Earlier this week, the state also expanded the current vaccination eligibility to people 65 and older, and to those 16 to 64 who have certain chronic medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness from the virus.
For more information on the CURE Insurance Arena and MCCC vaccination sites, email publichealth@mercercounty.org.