A mass vaccination area of the COVID-19 for the Peoria area is not out of the question.
But Peoria health department administrator Monica Hendrickson says whether that happens depends on how much Johnson & Johnson vaccine the area receives.
“What we see with Johnson & Johnson is that it’s very good with our transit clinics, which we do not have in our area,” she said. “And so if we see a lot of allocations for Johnson & Johnson, it’s something we could set up as one of our options.”
Hendrickson said in that scenario, local hospitals would continue to administer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
“The Moderna and Pfizer will remain in our hospital systems,” she said. “Not necessarily because of the request from the hospital system, but because the follow-up and storage mechanisms make it a better environment to distribute.”
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two doses and cooling for full efficacy. The Johnson & Johson vaccine is simple and can be stored more easily.
Hendrickson said local health departments already have a lot of experience with the vaccination clinics through the flu vaccine.
The Peoria area has not yet sent any J&J vaccine. The bulk of the state’s first shipment of the J&J vaccine is to the state’s existing vaccination sites.
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