McHenry Vaccine Clinic Turns Away Wrongly Registered Residents

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — Some 100 people who had signed up to receive the coronavirus vaccine in McHenry County were turned away on Saturday after it was determined that they were yet eligible to get the vaccine, the Northwest Herald reports.

Susan Karras, Public Health Nursing Director for the McHenry County Board of Health told the Herald the ineligible people who showed up at the clinic designated for residents over the age of 65 signed up using shared links from the health department.

As of Thursday, the McHenry County Health Department is only vaccinating residents in Phase 1A — health care workers and long-term care facility residents — along with residents over the age of 65.

“People are forwarding the links when they shouldn’t be forwarding the links,” Karras told the publication. “That’s 100 appointments that could have went to a 65-and-older person.”

According to the county's website, people in other vaccination groups and phases will not be vaccinated until all health care workers and long-term care residents who want to be vaccinated have had the opportunity to do so.

"Because supplies of vaccines will be limited until production ramps up, it could take months before we are able to begin providing a vaccine to other prioritized groups," the website reads.

Residents in Phases 1a, 1b and 1c can enroll to be placed on a vaccination wait list using the county's online registration tool. They will receive an email once a vaccine appointment time becomes available, the county said.

Phases 1b and 1c include essential frontline workers, shelter and adult day care workers and attendees, inmates, adults with high risk medical conditions and other essential workers.