State health officials continue to urge all eligible state residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine and are promoting it as the only way to fight the virus.

And with Christmas less than 10 days away, health care workers are trying to get as many people vaccinated as possible. They are urging those to get the COVID booster shot.

To promote the shot and to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the first dose administered in the Garden State, state officials dubbed Dec. 15 “Boost New Jersey Day.”

Officials say that 73% of New Jersey residents are fully vaccinated, but only 36% of those who are eligible for a booster shot have gotten one.

With hospitalization numbers up, health officials say that one of the things they are seeing in Essex County is that people who are vaccinated are being hospitalized at a lower rate than people who have not gotten the vaccine. They say that they are optimistic that there will be an increase in people being vaccinated ahead of Christmas travel.

"Those individuals who might have been slightly hesitant about getting the booster dose are the same people that were hesitant to go ahead and get the vaccine to begin with,” says Essex County Health Officer Maya Lordo. “I think those individuals are coming around especially for those individuals who are going to travel who have holiday plans or going to parties."

Boost NJ events were held across all 21 New Jersey counties. Essex County health officials say they've already given out over 20,000 boosters since early November.