St. Clair County announces more opportunities to get COVID vaccine without appointment
St. Clair County officials have announced two more days this week when people can get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the drive-thru clinic in Belleville without an appointment.
Anyone 16 years old and older who lives, works or attends school in Illinois is eligible to get the vaccine at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds, 200 S. Belt East in Belleville. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, people who meet that criteria can get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine without making an appointment first.
Officials said Tuesday that appointments are still encouraged. Anyone who schedules a date and time to be vaccinated ahead of time will drive through an “express lane” at the fairgrounds, which moves slightly quicker.
The county opened vaccinations at the fairgrounds to people without appointments for the first time Tuesday as a trial run. It set up another lane, separate from the express lane, for walk-ins.
The process took slightly longer for people without appointments because staff needed to register them before administering the shot.
“We’re only talking a few minutes,” said Herb Simmons, director of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.
The county increased staffing at the vaccination site on Tuesday to help people get registered, according to Simmons.
Samantha Bierman, emergency response coordinator for the St. Clair County Health Department, said during Tuesday’s 3:30 p.m. county briefing that about 300 people without appointments had been vaccinated during the trial run since 9 a.m. It was expected to continue until 5 p.m. Tuesday.
About 1,000 people with appointments were scheduled to arrive throughout the day Tuesday, the emergency management agency director said.
Bierman said opening vaccinations up to walk-ins did not increase wait times for people who made appointments.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 4:12 PM.
