New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub

To improve access to information during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NJ State Office of Innovation launched COVID19.NJ.gov, a centralized site that presented critical information from dozens of agencies in a user-friendly format.

Challenge

At the onset of the pandemic, there was no centralized source for official State information about the virus. Residents had to comb through dozens of State websites to learn about restrictions on gatherings, public health guidance, business closures, or unemployment benefits. As a result, New Jerseyans struggled to find the information they needed and were more susceptible to rumors and misinformation.

Innovation In Action

Unlike traditional legacy government websites, which feature static content and press releases, OOI puts the user first and deploys data to identify residents’ needs and serve up relevant content in simple language to connect people with the information they need. Site content and layout are constantly updated based on frequent reviews of search data, user-submitted questions, and website behavior to proactively identify emerging needs or shortcomings in existing content.

Impact + Metrics

As of September 2024, the COVID-19 Info Hub has been been visited more than 90 million times and provided these visitors with life-saving health information and critical resources. The site has been updated or enhanced more than 134,000 times.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Finder, which was created in response to user demand, was used more than 5.3 million times, helping these residents get appointments for COVID-19 vaccines.
Building on the success of the COVID-19 Info Hub, OOI has been working with additional State partners to apply the same model of data- and user-driven content delivery to create information hubs that address specific needs or communities including low-income college students (BasicNeeds.NJ.gov), transgender residents (Transgender.NJ.gov), individuals with disabilities (NJ.gov/Disabilities), and more.

Status

The COVID-19 Info Hub continues to be updated as needed, however the pace of content updates has slowed as policy and guidance around COVID-19 have crystallized at the federal and state level. In addition, many pandemic era programs have concluded and are no longer active.

Resources and Additional Information

Key Partners

Office of the Governor
NJ State Department of Health
NJ State Office of Information Technology
NJ State Office of Emergency Management
NJ 211
Statewide initiative, in partnership with all State entities

Last updated on 9/26/24