Paterson says 100% of adult residents are vaccinated, but residents say, ‘Not me’

PATERSON — Mayor Andre Sayegh held a press conference Thursday celebrating state health department statistics that say 100% of Paterson’s adult residents have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.

But because of imperfections in key data sets that contribute to that statistic, the reality in Paterson is more complicated.

Sayegh and the city’s health officer, Dr. Paul Persaud, said the 100% vaccine statistic was based on counts of city residents who have received one vaccine dose. They also said it was rooted in 2010 census data that put Paterson’s population of residents age 65 and older at 107,000. They noted that Paterson’s population was larger in the 2020 census. Sayegh and Persaud acknowledged the presence of immigrants lacking documented immigration status may also affect the vaccination numbers.

The New Jersey Department of Health acknowledged that its vaccine data dashboard comes with a footnote. It says some municipalities may have vaccine rates higher than 100% for several reasons, including transient persons, college student populations, and residents of long term care facilities who may be accounted for in census data in other places.

Sayegh's 100% adult vaccination rate was actually lower than New Jersey's health department dashboard, which put the rate at 101% and said that 109% of city residents ages 65 and older have been vaccinated.

Those statistics are based on people who have gotten one shot. The state put the percentage of Paterson residents ages 12 and over who have gotten fully vaccinated — having received two shots each of the Pfizer and Moderna immunizations or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at 82%.

The state dashboard shows Paterson has higher vaccination rates than most other cities in New Jersey: In Newark, 71% of residents 12 and over are counted as fully vaccinated and in Camden, 65% of residents 12 and over are fully vaccinated.

During the past six months, Sayegh repeatedly has cited Paterson's comparatively higher statistics as evidence of his administration’s success in combatting the pandemic.

But several of the mayor’s political rivals scoffed at his efforts to publicize Paterson’s vaccine rate.

“That’s baloney,” Councilman Luis Velez said of the 100% claim. “He should show us the real data.”

Councilman Michael Jackson said Sayegh was trying to “mislead the public” and he questioned the importance of vaccine rates. “It’s been proven that people who get vaccinated can still catch the virus and are still in danger of losing their lives.”

While public health officials have said all three vaccines approved for use in the U.S. do not guarantee complete protection from contracting COVID-19, they have been found to be safe and effective at preventing severe COVID-19 cases — as have booster doses of vaccines.

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On Paterson's streets, Sayegh's statistic met more challenges.

Paterson Press conducted a series of interviews across the city on Wednesday and Thursday with people who identified themselves as city residents.

A number of people interviewed on Paterson's streets were not shy about the vaccine hesitancy. That group included Antonio Colon, who was shopping at the 7-Eleven on Chamberlain Avenue; Morant Terhe, who was outside a pharmacy on Main Street in South Paterson; and Tahleif Jackson, who was exercising in Eastside Park.

“I’m not vaccinated,” the 51-year old Colon said when informed about the mayor’s claim. “I haven’t got vaccinated and I’m not going to. I know a lot of people who live in Paterson that are not vaccinated.”

“What the mayor said is a lie,” Colon continued, referring to the 100% statistic cited by Sayegh. “He’s saying that because he wants people to look at him.”

When told about the informal survey, the mayor had his own questions.

“For those people who say they are not vaccinated, are you sure that they are citizens?” Sayegh responded. “Are you sure they are telling the truth that they actually live in Paterson?”

Paterson Press took the word of the people interviewed when they said they were city residents and did not ask for any identification.

Mark Robinson, a 65-year-old Army veteran was among those Paterson Press interviewed who have gotten vaccinated.

“Veterans Affairs called to check up on me,” Robinson recounted. “They urged me to get the shot, so I did.”

Slyvia Feliz, a resident of Paterson’s Hillcrest neighborhood, said she and her oldest son had received vaccinations but that her husband and two younger children had not.

“There are so many unknowns about the virus,” Feliz said.

Terhe, the man who was outside a South Paterson pharmacy, waiting for it to open, said he passed on the opportunity to be vaccinated.

“I’m still not sure if vaccinations are safe,” Terhe commented.

Jackson, the man exercising at Eastside Park, said he couldn’t give a simple answer why he has yet to get vaccinated. He offered his theory on why Sayegh is touting the city’s vaccination data.

“In giving the 100% rate statement, I believe the mayor is trying to give a positive view of the city,” said Jackson, who is 30. “I live alone, so I don’t think there is as much of a chance for me to contract the virus. I love the city of Paterson. I just hope that things get better.”

Meanwhile, in the city’s 4th Ward at the Dylan Mini Mart at the violence-plagued corner of Carroll and Governor streets, co-owner Sarah Marte said that she and her husband had gotten the shots but that her two sons had not.

A man dressed in jeans and a winter jacket who said his name was Jay, interjected and loudly exclaimed, “I will not take that shot, I never will.”

Ed Rumley is a contributing writer for Paterson Press.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Vaccine rates stats strong, but data flawed