'Enroll Wherever You Can' For COVID Vaccine: Health Official

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry residents currently eligible to receive a vaccine and wanting the best chance of getting it as quickly as possible are encouraged to enroll not only through their local health department but also through local pharmacies, local health-care organizations and other distribution sites.

"I encourage you to enroll wherever you can so you can get the vaccine as soon as you can," said Susan Karras, McHenry County Department of Health public health nursing director, during a Wednesday town hall meeting where local officials updated the public on McHenry County's vaccine rollout.

New clinics and distribution sites are added daily, and more vaccinations are expected to become available in the coming weeks. In addition, pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, are receiving federal, and not state-issued, allotments of the vaccine — which means that even if you are enrolled through the health department, you could miss out on an appointment through other county, state and federal partners.

In McHenry County, anyone included in Phase 1b and 1c are encouraged to enroll online to be notified of a health department clinic. In addition, public health officials are encouraging residents to regularly check the state’s vaccine locator.

There they can see sites and pharmacies where appointments could be made for those eligible for a vaccine. The only problem is there aren't many, or any, appointments currently showing up on those sites.

"We've heard from multiple people that say they've gone on this system and they can't find an appointment. And that is because the vaccine isn't coming in at a level yet where they are going to start populating those appointments," said MCDH community information coordinator Lindsay Salvatelli during the town hall meeting Wednesday. "We should start to see that change soon."

The Illinois Department of Public Health is updating its vaccine locator daily as it adds new partners and more vaccines become available.

Another route for those hoping to score a vaccine as soon as possible is to enroll through the health care provider associated with their primary care physician. County health officials say Advocate Health, Northwestern Medicine and Mercy Medical are among health care organizations planning vaccination clinics.

"All of these additional partners could contact those eligible for a vaccine directly when an appointment becomes available through text, phone call, direct mailer or email," Salvatelli said. "So, there's going to be multiple ways people are able to schedule a vaccine."

During that meeting, county and public health officials updated the public on the current status of vaccinations in McHenry County. As was the case when COVID-19 tests first became available, vaccines are limited right now, but more are expected to become available as production ramps up.

"Supplies are still scarce," McHenry County Chairman Mike Buehler said during the town hall meeting. "This is a supply and demand issue. We have a plan, a good plan, to get the vaccine into as many arms as possible."

The county is currently in Phase 1b of the state’s vaccination plan. There are at least 70,000 residents in the county eligible to receive a vaccine in this phase, which prioritizes the 44,000 residents 65 years and older here.

On Friday and Saturday, clinics will be held to begin vaccinating educators in the county, public health officials said. There are 10,000 people working in education in McHenry County. In addition, first responders, other specified essential workers, inmates and those with specified health risks are included in 1b.

"Because of the large population in Phase 1b, the department of health is prioritizing the sub-groups based on the risk driven by data and science," Karras said. "However, there are times when decisions come from the CDC and state that changes these priority decisions that are way out of our control."

As of Wednesday, 23,746 vaccines have been administered in the county and just 5,775 people have been fully vaccinated. Public health officials are aiming for 80 percent of the population vaccinated in order to reach "herd immunity." In McHenry County, that means 246,856 of the 305,000 residents would need to get their COVID-19 shots, health officials said.

So far, just 1.87 percent of McHenry County have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, according to IDPH data.

"To say this process has been difficult is an understatement," Karras said. "The McHenry County Department of Health, like every other local health department, is on the front line of this pandemic and as such, we've continually had to make changes with short notice to adjust to decisions at the state and federal levels for which we have no control."

In McHenry County, those included in Phase 1b and 1c can enroll online to receive more information from their local health department on when they’re eligible to set up an appointment to get their shot.

In addition, new sites and pharmacies that are doling out vaccinations are being updated daily. Those interested in securing the soonest available appointment are encouraged to regularly check the IDPH’s vaccination location site.

Currently, in McHenry County, these federal and county partners are offering vaccines:

• Jewel Osco: Check to see if your local pharmacy is among them and when the next appointment may be available.
• Mariano’s, 105 Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake: More information is available on the grocer’s website.
• Walgreen’s: Check to see if your Walgreens is included and for more information about enrolling or setting up an appointment.
• Meijer stores in Algonquin and McHenry: Sign up to receive more information here.