St. Clair County vaccination site to offer Moderna, Johnson & Johnson booster shots

The mass vaccination drive-thru site at Belle Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Belleville will offer the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots, St. Clair County health officials announced Friday afternoon.

Next week, the fairgrounds will offer the following vaccines (primary series, third dose, or booster) by date:

• Tuesday, Oct. 26: Pfizer
• Wednesday, Oct. 27: Moderna
• Thursday, Oct. 28: Johnson & Johnson

The location is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, with the last available drive up appointment at 7 p.m.

In addition, the St. Clair County Health Department vaccine clinic at 330 West Main Street in Belleville is currently administering the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine boosters following CDC recommendations.

The 330 West Main drive-thru location is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

People must bring their vaccination card if previously vaccinated. Appointments are strongly encouraged for all vaccines and can be set through the health departments website at https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/Departments/Health-Department/COVID-19-Information/Vaccination-Screen.

In addition to the booster doses, the 330 West Main Street vaccine clinic continues to offer first and second doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). Third doses for the most severely immunocompromised populations (Pfizer and Moderna) are also available.

Friday’s announcement comes in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation for a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations and for those in high risk occupational and institutional settings.

For the nearly 15 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.

For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at six months or more after their initial series:

• 65 years and older
• Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
• Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
• Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings

Occupations at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission include front line essential workers and health care workers as previously detailed by the CDC:

• First responders (healthcare workers, firefighters, police, congregate care staff)
• Education staff (teachers, support staff, daycare workers)
• Food and agriculture workers
• Manufacturing workers
• Corrections workers
• U.S. Postal Service worker
• Public transit workers
• Grocery store workers

“While the vaccines continue to be highly effective at preventing severe illnesses, hospitalization, death, as we learn more about COVID-19 and the science evolves, so too must our recommendations,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Scientists and medical experts continue to monitor vaccines for waning immunity and how well the vaccines protect against new variants,and across which age groups and risk factors.

“The information reviewed by the FDA shows that there is clear evidence of the benefit of booster doses at this time.”

The St. Clair County Health Department recommends following their social media or up-to-date information on all COVID vaccine updates at http://www.co.st-clair.il.us/Departments/Health-Department/COVID-19-Information/.

This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 5:30 PM.