First county in NJ reaches goal: 70% of adults fully vaccinated

TRENTON – Morris County is the first county in New Jersey where 70% of adults are fully vaccinated to protect against COVID-19, according to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gov. Phil Murphy has set a goal of having 70% of adults, meaning those 18 years and older, fully vaccinated by the end of June. Statewide, 61.8% of adults are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC data, and 74.3% of adults have gotten at least one COVID shot.

“By achieving 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated one month ahead of the governor’s goal, Morris County is leading the way in reopening schools, businesses, summer camps and, as was recently announced by Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, live performances,” said Morris County Commissioner John Krickus.

Generally speaking, the CDC data runs ahead of the numbers compiled by the state Department of Health, largely because it reflects New Jersey residents who are vaccinated in other states.

The CDC shows 276,994 residents of Morris County are fully vaccinated, including 272,412 age 18 or older. The state data shows 270,364 residents of Morris County are fully vaccinated, and it doesn’t provide details about how many are adults.

There are five other counties in New Jersey where the CDC shows at least 60% of adults are fully vaccinated: Cape May, 65.8%; Bergen, 64.4%; Burlington, 63.7%; Somerset, 62.8%; and Warren, 60.3%.

Warren County’s ranking is much different from its apparent standing in the state’s data, which has it third from the bottom among the 21 counties, with the number of people fully vaccinated amounting to less than half the adult population.

The CDC shows 51,716 residents of Warren County, including 51,192 adults, are fully vaccinated. The state data shows 41,138 residents of any age are fully vaccinated – about 20% fewer than the federal government counts.

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No explanation is given for the difference. However, if Warren County residents are vaccinated across the Delaware River in Easton, Pennsylvania, they’d be picked up by the federal count but not the state one.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are two counties where fewer than half of adults are fully vaccinated – Cumberland at 40.2% and Salem at 46% – and six others that remain under 55%: Ocean, Union, Passaic, Essex, Mercer and Gloucester.

Michael Symons is State House bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5. Contact him at michael.symons@townsquaremedia.com.