McHenry County Opens Mass Vaccination Center

Press release from the McHenry County Health Department:

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – The City of McHenry has partnered with local businesses and the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) to open a COVID-19 mass vaccination center to rapidly scale up the delivery of inoculations once the supply of vaccine becomes more reliable.

The opening comes as the county has learned that its supply of the vaccine for first doses will be significantly reduced for the next several weeks as Illinois prioritizes shipments for those due to receive their second shot. Weather is also delaying shipments of vaccine to the state.

McHenry city leaders will officially turn the building over to the MCDH on Friday afternoon. County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, lauded the city and its volunteers for braving snow and freezing cold to convert the building, which has been vacant for 12 years, into a mass vaccination facility in only 11 days.

“The amount of vaccine that McHenry County has been receiving has been far short of what we need, but once supply comes closer to meeting the enormous demand, we’ll be ready to ramp up, thanks to the hard work and generosity of the people of McHenry,” said Buehler, who has formally requested that more doses get allocated to McHenry County. “We understand how frustrated people are with the pace – we hear you. We are ready to roll once we get a steadier and more reliable flow of vaccine.”

The facility will offer inoculations by appointment to people who have enrolled through MCDH. The enrollment form can be accessed online at http://bit.ly/MCDHCovidVaccine, or through its COVID-19 Call Center at 815-334-4045.

“The City of McHenry is truly appreciative of our community business partners who came together to make this mass vaccination site a reality,” McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett said. “We are honored to partner with the Department of Health to assist them in their mission to vaccinate McHenry County. I wish to extend special thanks to BET Investments for providing us an 87,000-square-foot building, and to all our local partners for their gracious donations. We couldn't have put this plan together without them.”

Jett thanked city staff and building owner BET Investments, plus local donors including Sherwin Williams, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600, Home Depot, Prairie Land Disposal, Jett’s Heating & Air, Eby Graphics, and ZFRM Law.

McHenry County is making every effort to get residents inoculated, but vaccine supplies are limited. Many of the doses the MCDH receives from the state are shared with its community health partners throughout the county so that Phase 1a and 1b recipients, starting with first responders and those 65 and older, have closer and faster access – the remaining doses are utilized by the MCDH for its vaccination clinics.

“We owe a big thank you to the City of McHenry for their contributions in standing up a permanent vaccination site for the county,” said MCDH Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson. “This location will serve as the primary vaccination site and the size of this facility will allow us to grow our vaccination efforts as more vaccine comes online. We are extremely fortunate to be a part of a team working toward a common goal to meet the needs of our residents.”

There are several options for residents to receive vaccine. Some regional hospital systems, clinics and other community partners are vaccinating their patients that are eligible in Phase 1a and 1b and may reach out directly to schedule an appointment. There are also state and federal partnerships with retail pharmacies in McHenry County. Anyone may enroll at those sites to be vaccinated. To find a location vaccinating near you, please visit the State of Illinois’ Vaccination Locations webpage at https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-location. Please note that enrollment at these sites is separate from enrollment through MCDH and vaccine appointment availability varies.

This press release was produced by the McHenry County Health Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.