New Jersey has made great progress in its vaccination effort; however, COVID-19 is still with us. 

Last Monday, the NJ Department of Health Commissioner announced that on average 80% of current patients in NJ’s hospitals with COVID-19 as their principal diagnosis were unvaccinated; while 20% of COVID-19 positive patients had previously been vaccinated and were likely infected due to decreasing immunity. 

As families get ready to gather around the Christmas Tree this week and case counts increase, it is critical that if you are 16 or older and six months out from having received your second shot of  the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, 18 or older and six months out from having received your second shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or two months out from having received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, you get a COVID-19 booster. 

In addition to boosters, another critical measure to help our community contain the COVID-19 virus is testing. If you are interested in getting tested before the holiday, the BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid test can be picked up at your local drugstore or can be ordered online at CVS or Walgreens. 

In addition to the rapid tests, the NJDOH and Vault have partnered to offer free at-home PCR COVID-19 saliva tests. The federally-funded kits will be shipped through UPS with next day delivery. Once received, individuals will connect via Zoom with a Vault healthcare professional who will guide them through the test and answer any questions. When complete, the test can be sent back in a prepaid package via UPS next day shipping. Results will be available 24 - 48 hours after the sample arrives at the lab. The results are also automatically shared with local public health officials who conduct contact tracing, which helps the state continue to track the virus.  

If you would like to get PCR results faster, the Far Hills Pharmacy offers same-day PCR test results.

Have a great week, and take care! 

Sarah Neibart

Mayor, Mendham Township