NJ opening vaccine eligibility April 19 to those 16, older April 5, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is opening up COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to those 16 or older beginning April 19, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. Murphy, a Democrat, said the expansion comes two weeks ahead of plan and added that it's the “right time to put our program into higher gear.” The announcement came the same day that those 55 and older as well as people in other jobs categories became eligible for the vaccine. Murphy has promised to get 70% of the state's adult population, or 4.7 million people, vaccinated by the end of June.