A COVID-19 testing center in Wheaton will be converted into a vaccination site as DuPage County builds the infrastructure needed for mass vaccination and faces frustration over vaccine demand.
The health department DuPage will place a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at its headquarters in Wheaton after the fair next month. In preparation for the transition, the drive-through test ends at the fair this week.
The fair will join a growing list of more than 80 vaccination sites across the province.
As seniors and emergency workers begin to sign up for appointments up front, the province’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign is leading the rest of Illinois. More than 1.6% of the population is fully vaccinated, ranking second in rural Stark County in central Illinois.
But the amount of vaccine given to DuPage varied greatly from week to week. The state earmarked 23,925 doses for the country in December – or more than last week’s distribution.
“At present, our offer is quite inconsistent and certainly inefficient, but we consistently plead at all levels of government to rectify the situation,” said Dan Cronin, chairman of DuPage’s board.
The country also sought formal support from the National Guard to expedite vaccinations. In addition to the urgency, there is a more contagious variant of the coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom, in Illinois.
“The understanding so far is that the vaccines we have will still be effective against these viruses,” said Dr. Rashmi Chugh, medical officer at the health department, said.
Executive Director Karen Ayala also tried to reassure the public in various areas during an information session for members of the country’s councilors on Tuesday, outlining the distribution plans and the registration process for the 268,000 people now eligible for phase 1B shots. attention is given.
Register
Elderly and essential workers at the front must register for the vaccine in several ways. Healthcare systems advise eligible patients to log in directly with their MyChart account. Pharmacy chains and the department of health in the province have registration portals online.
“It’s extremely important to get on a list,” Ayala said. “I would encourage people to get on as many lists as they can because it is the same vaccine. It does not matter where you get it.”
To date, 141,000 residents have registered with the Department of Health, Dupagehealth.org. In an online form, their phone number and email address are requested. The country will contact them to make an appointment for their first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
“If we have clinic available or let any of our partners know that they have clinic available, we can send the information to people,” Ayala said.
Supply Issues
Although the number of vaccination sites has grown to 83 from Monday, December 16, the allocation of vaccines has not kept pace. Not scarce supplies have access to shots, Ayala said.
“It is not the case that the more vaccines we have, the more vaccine we get,” Ayala said in an interview. “We get a number of vaccinations every week, and then we divide it up into those sites.”
The state health department determines the amount of doses that go to DuPage.
“Every week we received a different amount of vaccine,” Ayala said. “For the past four weeks, we have been told that our supply levels will be constant or in a maintenance mode, but that was not the case.”
The province estimates that it will take about three months to vaccinate the 268,000 people within phase 1B. The province will aim to progress to the next vaccination wave if at least 60% to 70% are vaccinated in the current phase and if the vaccine supply increases.
“What we need to ask is understanding as we work through and tackle this very unpredictable issue of vaccine provision,” Ayala said.