The Burlington County Health Department will continue to make COVID vaccines available to both adults and children.
Beginning Friday, April 7, the health department will hold a weekly vaccination clinic every Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at its offices at 15 Pioneer Boulevard. The clinic will be open to all Burlington County adults, teens and children as young as 6 months old. Walk-ins are welcome.
The county’s clinics at the Gibson House Community Center in Evesham and at the Bordentown Senior Center in Bordentown Township will close following this week.
The Burlington County COVID-19 Testing Center in Willingboro will also cease operating on April 28.
Burlington County Health Department Director Dr. Herb Conaway said the changes reflect a drop in demand and the easy access of vaccine and testing kits from pharmacies and other health care providers.
“COVID-19 is still with us and still a health threat. But we’re in a different, quieter phase of the pandemic than we were even a year ago, and our operations reflect that,” Dr. Conaway said.
More than 671,000 doses of COVID vaccines have now been administered to Burlington County residents and more than 82 percent of the county’s population has now received at least a primary series of vaccines, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
Over 75,000 county residents have also received a bivalent booster shot, amounting to about 23 percent of the county’s eligible population, making Burlington County the fourth highest in the state.
“Most of Burlington County’s population has received at least the primary series of vaccines and close to a quarter of our population have also received at least one booster,” Dr. Conaway said. “That has helped keep the number of dangerous COVID-19 cases manageable and relieved a lot of pressure on our health care systems.”
He said the health department would continue administering vaccine to homebound residents and that the Friday afternoon vaccination clinics would ensure that vaccines and boosters remain accessible to any Burlington County resident who wants the protection.
“We continue to encourage people who haven’t yet been vaccinated or boosted to do so soon,” Dr. Conaway said. “Whether you’re an adult, senior or young child, the vaccines are still your best possible defense against severe disease and the worst possible outcomes of COVID. We recommend any individual who has not received a primary series vaccine or an updated bivalent booster to speak to their physician and consider getting one.”