45% Of McHenry Co. Seniors Receive Vaccine

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — Nearly half of all senior citizens in McHenry County have received their COVID-19 shot, and local health officials are hoping to have 80 percent of those 65 years old and older vaccinated by the end of March.

As of Tuesday, 45 percent of the 71,062 vaccine doses administered so far have gone to McHenry County’s senior population since the state of Illinois opened vaccinations to the Phase 1b priority group on Jan. 25.

Vaccines have been administered through local hospital systems, retail pharmacies and McHenry County Health Department-run clinics.

“Vaccinating McHenry County is a Herculean effort, and we are proud to work with our local partners who have risen to the challenge in vaccinating a high-risk population that has spent the past year doing their best to avoid coming into contact with the virus,” said MCDH Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson.

MCDH reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 10, 2020. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 virus a pandemic a year ago on March 11.

“Much has changed in a year since our first reported case,” Adamson said. “We’ve learned what works to reduce the spread of virus and we now have a vaccine. The end to this pandemic seems to get closer with each administered vaccine, but we cannot lose sight of the danger of this virus by looking too far ahead.”

To date, there have been 24,754 confirmed and probable cases in McHenry County. Of McHenry County’s 308,570 residents, 21,628 have been fully vaccinated.

Currently, the COVID-19 positivity rate is at 5.2 percent. Health officials are urging residents to stay diligent in protecting themselves, and others, from contracting the virus.

“Vaccination efforts are strong in McHenry County, but it’s important to remember that the virus is still circulating in our community. We need to remember to keep wearing our mask whenever we travel out of the house and that the risk of getting COVID-19 increases whenever we gather," Adamson said. "We are still continuing our contact tracing efforts, so please answer the call if one of our contact tracers reach out to you and follow their advice on quarantine if you’ve been in contact with a known case or isolating yourself if you test positive."

More information on enrolling for a COVID-19 vaccine can be found on the MCDH website.