First mass COVID-19 vaccination center in St. Clair County to open Monday
St. Clair County’s mass vaccination site in Belleville is set to open on schedule Monday, after doubts were raised earlier this week.
County officials reported Friday that the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds site at 200 South Belt East will open on schedule.
The site will run six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be staffed by healthcare workers and National Guard members.
Vaccinations will be limited to people who have made an appointment through the St. Clair County Health Department. For now, the department is only scheduling people who are 75 years or older for shots.
People who wish to receive a notification when they may be eligible to receive the vaccine in St. Clair County can fill out a COVID-19 Vaccine Notification Sign Up Form at the county website at www.co.st-clair.il.us.
The county launched a call center Friday for those who need assistance signing up to receive a vaccine notification. The call center can be reached at 618-825-4447 and runs Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On Friday, county Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said more than 53,000 people have signed for notifications. He said anyone interested in being vaccinated should sign up. He said over 9,000 people 75 years and older have signed up so far.
The county is also offering free rides to those who need transportation to the fairgrounds via the St. Clair County Transit District.
Earlier this week, county officials said the opening of a mass vaccination site at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds may be delayed due to a lack of vaccines and staff availability.
Kern said once the county begins vaccinations at the site, it’s hoped that 1,200 doses will be administered every day in St. Clair County.
There are about 3.2 million Illinoisans in Phase 1B of the vaccination schedule. They include:
People who are 65 years old or older
Firefighters
Law enforcement officers
911 workers
Security personnel
Teachers, principals and school support staff members
Daycare workers
Food and agriculture workers
Manufacturing workers
Corrections workers and inmates
U.S. Postal Service workers
Public transit workers, including those who work for ride-sharing services
Grocery store workers
Staff members at homeless shelters and women’s shelters
St. Clair County is starting with vaccinations for individuals 75 or older in an effort to vaccinate people who are at higher risk earlier in the 1B stage.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 4:31 PM.