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The 103-year-old woman who last month became New Jersey’s first nursing home resident to receive a COVID-19 vaccine got her second and final shot Monday morning with Gov. Phil Murphy looking on. 

Dressed in a purple winter coat and white scarf and seating in a wheelchair, Mildred Clements received the shot during a ceremony inside a tent outside Roosevelt Care Center in Old Bridge.  

Esther Moodey, a nurse at the facility, also received her second shot. 

The event came three weeks after both Clements and Moodey received their first shot.

“Make sure she can pitch with that arm,” Murphy said as Clements received the shot in her left arm. “Spring training is around the corner.”

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli was also on hand. 

“How are you?” Persichilli asked Clements after the vaccination. “OK,” Clements said. 

“You are quite the celebrity now,” Persichilli said.

Moodey said the only side effect she had after the first dose last month was a “little cough” for a few days. She said her arm hurt only for a day. 

“It’s exciting,” Moodey said of receiving the second dose. “Pretty soon, hopefully, I’ll be completely immune.”

More than 200 residents and staff members at Roosevelt received the first dose last month and are scheduled to receive the second shot Monday, said Bentzy Davidowitz, the facility’s administrator. None have experienced any issues, he said.

“We’ve had really tremendous success,” Davidowitz said. 

Some residents and staff members have not been vaccinated at the site because they are hesitant or have received their shot elsewhere, he said. 

The facility had no active coronavirus cases as of Monday morning, Davidowitz said.

Also on hand for the event were state Sen. Samuel Thompson and Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry.

Brent Johnson

Reporter

NJ.com

Email: BJOHNSON@njadvancemedia.com

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