Lakewood among New Jersey's 16 'least vaccinated' towns

TRENTON — As the state has reached nearly three-quarters of its goal in vaccinating roughly 70% of the adult population against COVID-19, officials have identified the "least vaccinated" towns and cities in an effort to better reach them.

On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced 16 communities, each with more than 10,000 residents, where the vaccination rate of adults was below 40%.

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Using 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census, here's a look at each municipality, with its population, rate of vaccination and cumulative COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Passaic
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 39%
Population: 69,703
Confirmed cases to date: 64,637
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 1,673
Newark
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 38%
Population: 282,011
Confirmed cases to date: 36,820
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 960
Lakewood
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 34%
Population: 106,300
Confirmed cases to date: 13,609
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 304
East Orange
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 32%
Population: 64,367
Confirmed cases to date: 7,017
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 295
Irvington
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 29%
Population: 54,312
Confirmed cases to date: 4,598
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 222
Perth Amboy
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 32%
Population: 51,390
Confirmed cases to date: 9,153
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 202
Plainfield
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 37%
Population: 50,317
Confirmed cases to date: 6,454
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 182
Camden
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 32%
Population: 73,562
Confirmed cases to date: 9,842
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 164
Orange
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 36%
Population: 30,551
Confirmed cases to date: 3,516
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 130
New Brunswick
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 24%
Population: 55,676
Confirmed cases to date: 6,181
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 103
Garfield
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 39%
Population: 31,802
Confirmed cases to date as of April 28: 3,892
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 77
Bridgeton
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 37%
Population: 24,160
Confirmed cases to date: 2,308
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 53
Pemberton
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 32%
Population: 26, 979
Confirmed cases to date: 1,833
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 36
Fairview
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 36%
Population: 14,189
Confirmed cases to date April 28: 1,918
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: 30
Phillipsburg
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 29%
Population: 14,212
Confirmed cases as of April 28: 1,245
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: unclear as of Tuesday, though 1,182 cases are listed as 'recovered'
Trenton
Percentage of residents with at least one dose: 32%
Population: 83,203
Confirmed cases to date: Data not available
Confirmed COVID deaths to date: Data not available

“This is not going to be a competition between towns and communities or meant to shame any community. To the contrary, but having these numbers out there for everyone to see is important to ensuring that everyone is working and pulling together,” the governor said on Monday.

The state's mega-sites would be used when possible, "as a center of a hub and spoke model to move available doses directly into neighboring community centers and medical offices," Murphy said at the same state briefing.

An "army of boots on the ground" also was planned to canvass under-served communities, the governor continued, in efforts to reach to residents with fact-based information and resources that will help them make well-informed decisions on whether to be vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, more than 3.37 million New Jerseyans were fully vaccinated.

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