MCDH Meets With Municipal Leaders To Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution, Launches COVID Vaccine Page

Press release from the McHenry County Health Department:

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) officials met with local mayors on Wednesday to update them about the plans for distribution of the initial allotments of COVID-19 vaccines to priority groups and plans for mass vaccination of the general population.

MCDH has set up a COVID Vaccine webpage for the public to get the most up to date information and instructions on how to register for e-notifications.

To provide vaccines as efficiently and safely as possible, MCDH will be using an electronic registration system for COVID-19 vaccine clinics. The registration system will not be open to the general public until all groups that have been prioritized have had the opportunity to receive the vaccine. Those that do not have internet access will be able to register by phone.

“We are encouraging the general public to sign up for health department e-notifications so they can receive updated information and be alerted when vaccination clinics are open to the general public, how to register for these clinics, and where to go,” said MCDH Public Health Nursing Director Susan Karras. “We are asking for the public’s patience and understanding as we have not been notified of when our rollout will begin nor the allotment of vaccines that we will be receiving.”

MCDH is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) three-phased vaccine prioritization recommendation. Phase 1 is three-tiered with frontline healthcare personnel and long-term care facilities being in the first tier.

Once all those within the first tier who wishes to be vaccinated has done so, vaccines will be available to the second-tier, essential infrastructure workers ( e.g., Education Sector, Food & Agriculture, Utilities, Police, Firefighters, Corrections Officers, Transportation). The third-tier includes adults with high-risk medical conditions and adults 65 years and older who do not reside in a long-term care facility.

There may be a need to further prioritize within each tier based on the demand for vaccines and community needs specific to McHenry County. MCDH will continue to keep county residents informed about the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available.

The general public will be eligible for the vaccine after all prioritized groups have had the opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Even after receiving the vaccine, we will still need to continue to wear a mask and socially distance until we can achieve herd immunity,” Karras said. “We encourage everyone to receive the vaccine as soon as it is made available to you. It will take many months to get enough of our population vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. We can finally say there is an end in sight, but it will take patience.”

More information about the prioritization guidelines is available on the CDC’s website. To get the most up-to-date and reliable information about COVID-19, visit mcdh.info or CDC.gov. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in McHenry County or to sign up for MCDH news releases and event e-notifications, visit the COVID-19 website.

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