Two hundred front-line health workers are scheduled to get the new Moderna COVID-19 vaccine today at a clinic in Toms River, and earlier, Gov. Phil Murphy was on hand to watch some of the doctors and nurses receive it. 

Sixty workers Tuesday and 200 today will receive some of the first doses of the Moderna vaccine. The first recipient this morning was Ocean Health Initiative's clinical pharmacist and coordinator Dr. Jesus Melendez.

The clinic is a drive-thru location where people getting the vaccine will stay in their cars, and then after receiving the vaccine, drive around to a side parking lot where they will be supervised for up to a half hour for any adverse reactions by medical staff. 

Gov. Murphy earlier remarked on the importance of the smaller medical centers in the fight against COVID-19.

“We cannot forget the hundreds more community centers just like this one where this battle has been no less pitched,” says Gov. Murphy. “In so many ways, the men and women here have been the front-line workers in the front lines often being the first to see a patient who would require hospital care."

New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli also witnessed one of the state's first drive-thru vaccination centers and provided an update on what to expect to follow. 

“We expect within the next several months to set up more than 200 sites to provide access to individuals in New Jersey who want to get vaccinated,” says Persichilli. “They will include county sites, county and local health departments, urgent cares, select retail pharmacies, primary care providers and of course, our federally qualified health centers.”

Vaccinations at long-term care facilities are also scheduled to begin Monday.