Illinois to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to St. Clair County, preventing a shortage
St. Clair County officials announced Tuesday the county will receive a vaccine shipment from the state this week, quelling worries over a shortage of doses.
A shortage would have halted vaccinations before Friday.
“We were concerned about vaccines, but it appears the state will be delivering vaccines,” County Chairman Mark Kern said. “We will not see a hiccup in operations.”
During a daily briefing Monday, Kern said officials hoped to vaccinate at least 1,000 people a day. As of Tuesday, the county has been administering about 1,350 doses per day, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s vaccine database.
St. Clair County has administered the most vaccine doses in the metro-east at 26,034, with 4,135 people fully vaccinated. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported Monday the county has 9,487 doses available that have not been allocated toward long-term living centers, which are kept in a separate inventory.
County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said without a confirmed count from the state, the county can’t make appointments for vaccinations, which slows the process. “We’ll start making more appointments when the vaccine doses are here,” he said.
Nearly 1.58% of the county’s population has received both vaccination shots. Because of the uncertainty in vaccine deliveries, the county prioritized those with phase 1B eligibility who are 65 years or older.
Kern said teachers will be up next, after people 65 years or older are vaccinated.