New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy just announced that the state is expanding vaccine eligibility to included educators and additional essential workers.

They will become eligible to receive a vaccine on March 15. 

Governor Murphy shared on social media that educators (including Pre-K to 12 educators and support staff). Plus, child care workers, transportation and workers, and additional workers in the public safety sector, the governor says. 

The news comes as teachers across the state have been concerned for their safety as schools across the state return to some form of in-person education this spring.

The news certainly helps put minds at ease that schools will reopen for in-person instruction this fall as well. 

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Governor Murphy will announce more details about the expansion of the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility during his 1:00 pm press conference on Monday.

The expansion comes as the federal government approved an emergency authorization of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. New Jersey's Governor Phil Murphy said that he expects the state to receive as many as 70,000 doses of that vaccine as early as this week.

New Jersey residents can register for a vaccine on the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System. The state will notify them when they become eligible for the vaccine.

As the availability of the vaccine expands, many across the state are still finding the process to schedule a vaccine to be difficult. It has gotten a bit easier as private pharmacies such as CVS and Rite Aid have begun to offer the vaccine too.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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