Hoboken is set to receive 1,100 first dose Pfizer vaccines to administer to residents the week of March 22, roughly double the amount received in previous weeks.

According to Councilman Phil Cohen, Hoboken received 500 first-dose vaccines per week from the state at the beginning of the vaccination process, but that decreased to about 300 first-dose Moderna vaccines per week more recently, with 500 second doses allocated to seniors.

“This new 1,100 first-dose supply will make a big impact,” he said, thanking Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, and Hudson County Commissioner Anthony Romano.

According to Bhalla, Hoboken’s supply will continue to expand in April as the states receives more shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Two CVS pharmacies at the midtown and uptown locations received an initial set of Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

To check appointment availability, go to https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine.
To preregister for an appointment with the city, go to http://www.hobokennj.gov/vaccinesignup.

According to the state, those eligible include public and local transportation workers, public safety workers, migrant farm workers, members of tribal communities, individuals experiencing homelessness or who live in shelters, seniors over the age of 65, medical professionals, law enforcement, teachers and day care staff, and those with chronic high-risk medical conditions.

Starting March 29, those who work in food production, agriculture and food distribution; eldercare and support; warehousing and logistics; social services support staff; election personnel; hospitality; medical supply chain; postal and shipping services; clergy; and the judicial system will be eligible.

The health department has administered more than 4,135 doses to residents, which includes 2,784 first doses and 1,351 second doses.

Riverside Medical Group is providing appointments and has administered more than 3,800 doses, which includes 3,000 first doses and 800 second doses at their Hoboken location, the majority to Hoboken residents.

Appointments can be made at the Hudson County Vaccine Distribution Center at 110 Hackensack Ave. in Kearny at https://hudsoncovidvax.org/

“The best way we can all get back to normal is to get vaccinated when it’s your turn with the first vaccine available to you,” Bhalla said.  “All three vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are safe, effective and are proven to protect us. And until you’re vaccinated, the next couple months are critical in preventing variants from becoming the dominant strain and causing another surge, until vaccines are anticipated to be more widely available to the general public.”

He urged residents to continue to follow CDC guidelines: wear masks, socially distance, and avoid travel.

According to the CDC, those who have received their second doses must wait a full two weeks before they can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks.

They can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from another household without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Those who have been vaccinated and are around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless they have symptoms.

If those who are fully vaccinated live in a group setting and are around someone who has COVID-19, then they are instructed to stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if they don’t have symptoms.

Testing still available

According to the latest publicly released figures from the Hoboken Health Department, 3,894 residents have been infected with COVID-19 since the pandemic’s start roughly one year ago. 46 residents have died including a woman in her early 90s, a man in his early 70s, and a woman in her early 50s, which occurred in December and February but were only recently reported to the health department.

To make an appointment for a test with one of the city’s partners, go to https://www.hobokennj.gov/testing.

Restrictions updated

Gov. Phil Murphy has updated indoor capacity restrictions, increasing occupancy to 50 percent for restaurants, cafeterias, and food courts, with or without a liquor license; bars; indoor recreation, amusement, and entertainment businesses, including casinos and gyms; and personal care services like barber shops and nail salons.

These businesses must continue to abide by current health and safety protocols, including face covering and physical distancing requirements.

The governor increased indoor gathering limits from 10 to 25 people and outdoor gathering limits from 25 to 50 people.

Outdoor interstate youth competitions are allowed, but attendees at outdoor sports competitions will be limited to players, coaches, and officials, and up to two parents or guardians per participating athlete. No additional spectators or attendees will be allowed.

“We believe we can confidently take these steps today as our COVID-19 metrics continue to trend in the right direction,” Murphy said. “However, our mask mandate and COVID-19 health and safety protocols remain in effect. I am hopeful that we’ll be able to take further steps in expanding capacity responsibly and incrementally guided by public health data.”

For updates on this and other stories check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Marilyn Baer can be reached at Marilynb@hudsonreporter.com.

At a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the 100th anniversary of the United States entering World War I, various officials and veterans remembered Hoboken’s important role in the conflict.
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All German-born residents were required to register as “enemy aliens.”
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World War I began in 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Central Powers fought against the Allied Powers; Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States.
On April 6, 1917, the U.S. Government officially declared war on Germany. One of the country’s first official acts was the seizure of Hoboken’s German-owned shipping piers and liners, which were soon converted into the port of embarkation for the U.S. Expeditionary Forces.
The designation as a port of embarkation meant national fame for Hoboken.
When soldiers left from the city’s ports, General John J. Pershing promised the troops they’d be in “Heaven, Hell or Hoboken” by Christmas of 1917, and it became a national rallying cry for a swift end to the war.
Between the spring of 1917 and the fall of 1918, two million American servicemen passed through Hoboken on their way to and from Europe.
In May 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, requiring American men ages 21 to 30 to register for the draft. By war’s end 24 million Americans had registered.
Hoboken was one of the most German cities in New Jersey, with nearly 26 percent of its 70,000 residents being either German-born or the children of German immigrants. All German-born residents were required to register as “enemy aliens,” and many lost their jobs, homes, and businesses.

Last living vets

The last living World War I veteran died in 2011, but it’s still important to hold ceremonies honoring the conflict in order to keep history from fading, said County Executive Tom DeGise at the ceremony.
A light rain fell as Korean War and World War II veteran Vinnie Wassman as he read a poem at Pier A Park.
The ceremony included remarks from Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Freeholder Anthony Romano, County Executive Tom DeGise, and JoAnna Northgrave, who works for Hudson County Department of Veterans Affairs. There was also music from the Hoboken High School Red Wings marching band and choir.
“Hoboken was one of the main points of embarkation, right here on Pier A,” said Hoboken Historical Museum Director Bob Foster. “We used their ocean liners to transport our soldiers or what were called ‘Doughboys’ out.”
A total of 936 voyages to France and England were made from Hoboken during the war and over 2,400 draftees were from Hoboken.
WWII Veteran Jack O’Brien, played patriotic tunes on a fife and WWII and Korean War Veteran Vinnie Wassman, recited John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields” accompanied by the brass section of the band playing “America the Beautiful.”
The ceremony took place in front of the WWI Memorial boulder which was dedicated in 1925 to the “valiant American Expeditionary Forces who embarked from the port to participate in the World War 1917 – 1918.”

Learn more

The Hoboken Historical Museum has been marking the centennial with a lecture series and a newly launched reading discussion group. The group is reading a collection of writings about and from the WWI period on May 7 at 4 p.m.
Residents can attend the next lecture “Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken: The U.S. Army Port of Embarkation in Hoboken During World War I,” by Mark Van Ellis, Professor of History at Queensborough Community College, and author of America and World War I: A Traveler’s Guide.
For more information go to www.hobokenmuseum.org
Marilyn Baer can be reached at marilynb@hudsonreporter.com.