Camden County officials say that they are hoping to vaccinate thousands of people this weekend now that the Johnson & Johnson one-shot COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in New Jersey.

Officials say that it is not yet clear how many doses of the vaccine they will receive this week. But they are ready for it and are planning how to distribute the vaccine to the site in Blackwood.

“We’re hoping that come Saturday we can inoculate about 3,000 of our oldest, most vulnerable residents in Camden County. That would be huge,” says Camden County Commissioner Director Lou Cappelli.

Officials say that with the extra doses of vaccine from J&J, they will be able to bump up vaccine appointments for some residents. They are expecting an initial shipment of the vaccine this week and are hopeful that more will follow in the upcoming weeks.

“Our direction from the state is to try and get this to the most vulnerable folks and those who just can’t get there. So that’s why we’re working with the senior centers and the homeless population starting on March 15. That’s when we can start there, so we don’t have that plan together yet,” Cappelli says.

The county site in Blackwood is currently booked through October. But officials so that this will change now that the new vaccine is in the mix.

“We are absolutely certain that if you schedule for October or November, you will be bumped up months before that. So, please register to get your vaccination and we will definitely move you up when we have enough doses to do so,” Cappelli says.

Cappelli says that those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine should still register so that they get in the system and can be vaccinated once they are able to be.

Officials in neighboring Burlington County say that they will be receiving a small supply of the J&J vaccine that will be distributed to vulnerable and underrepresented populations. But they say that the details on this plan are still in the works. They say that will all be done independently from the state mega-site at the Moorestown mall.