Lake County Gets More Johnson & Johnson Shots

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Health Department is receiving more of the Johnson & Johnson shots this week and is planning to dole out most of its allocation to those living in senior living facilities or in subsidized housing.

The one-dose shot will also go to home-bound seniors and other individuals who may have a tough time getting out to a vaccine appointment — and would have an even tougher time getting out to the two appointments required to receive both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna inoculations.

The 2,100 Johnson & Johnson shots expected this week in Lake County is a steep increase from the 400 J&J vaccines the local health department has received so far, Hannah Goering, marketing and communications manager for the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center, told Patch in an email response Monday.

The first doses, which arrived in early March, went to patients 65 years old and above at the Grand Avenue Health Center, 3010 Grand Avenue, Waukegan, and Zion Health Center, 1911 27th St., Zion.

Health officials are happy to see a boost in J&J shots since they learned the state would be sending significantly fewer Pfizer and Moderna shots this week.

"We had been planning for a 64% drop in first doses from the state, so this is welcome news," according to a weekly COVID-19 newsletter from the Lake County Health Department.

The shots will be given to the health department's partnering mobile units, who will prioritize getting the one-dose vaccines into the arms of those living in "hard-to-reach communities." They will focus on residents living in senior housing and subsidized housing, as well as homebound seniors and other individuals, according to health officials.

The main difference between the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine and those from Pfizer and Moderna is that the J&J shot requires only one dose instead of two.

• 5 Things To Know About The Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine
  

Lake County residents who have a household member who is unable to physically leave their home to be vaccinated are encouraged to call the health department's support team at 847-377-8130 for help. In addition, anyone who has an appointment scheduled but needs help finding transportation can call 211 to learn about available resources.

In other COVID-19 vaccination news in Lake County:

• More than two-thirds of the county's seniors age 65 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. All registered Lake County seniors are eligible to schedule appointments in the county's AllVax system.
• Some hospital systems are beginning to vaccinate their patients under age 65 who have pre-existing health conditions. Pharmacies and state-run sites are providing appointments to additional groups made eligible by the state. To learn more, visit www.lakecountyil.gov/vaccine.
• In recent weeks, the Illinois National Guard began assisting the mass vaccination efforts at the Lake County Fairgrounds. National Guard members are screening individuals and administering vaccinations. This partnership will allow the fairgrounds site to enhance capacity and serve more residents. The National Guard have been supporting public health throughout the pandemic, running testing sites, assisting mass vaccination efforts, and running vaccine locations

To date, 13.95 percent of Lake County's population is fully vaccinated, according to public health data. This is lower than the state average, which stands at 16.34 percent or residents who have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shots or the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Currently, the Lake County Health Department is focused on vaccinating those in Phase 1b, which includes seniors 65 years old and older and specific frontline essential workers, and Phase 1b plus, which includes people with medical condition that puts them at increased risk for the coronavirus disease and other specific professions, including those in higher education, restaurant staff and government employees.

Goering said the hope is to get through vaccinating as many people in both of those groups as possible before the state opens vaccinations up to everyone 16 years old and older on April 12. And, unlike some counties, Lake County is not planning to open it up to more before then.

"We are continuing to work through Phase 1b and then 1b plus until April 12, as we have very high demand in these phases," she said. "Certain areas are opening up sooner because of lower demand, and this has not been the case in Lake County. Our demand continues to exceed the vaccine supply."

The Lake County Health Department has more information on how to register for the COVID-19 vaccine on its website.

Other online resources to help you track down a vaccine include:

• The state of Illinois' Vaccination Locator Map
• ILVaccine.org updates its website to reflect open appointments in Chicago's collar counties
• VaccineFinder.org allows you to search for COVID-19 vaccine by ZIP code and vaccine manufacturer

RELATED NEWS ON PATCH

• J.B. Jabbed: Illinois Governor Receives J&J Coronavirus Vaccine
• COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments Available For Lake County Seniors
• Vaccine Eligibility Opens Up To More Lake Co. Residents