Algonquin public works facility, McHenry County Fairgrounds being looked at as potential COVID-19 vaccine distribution sites

Algonquin’s public works facility and the McHenry County Fairgrounds in Woodstock could be used as drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination sites.

Susan Karras, public health nursing director with the McHenry County Department of Health, recently told the Board of Health that the department is trying to secure sites throughout the county that could provide drive-thru options for vaccination that can adhere to COVID-19 mitigation measures such as physical spacing.

Along with the public works facility and fairgrounds, MCDH is also working on confirming a third location for a mass vaccine distribution site, Karras said at the Board of Health meeting.

Drugmaker AstraZeneca on Monday said late-stage trials showed its COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective, making it the third major drug company to report late-stage data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, The Associated Press recently reported.

Two other drugmakers, Pfizer and Moderna, reported preliminary results earlier this month from late-stage trials showing their vaccines were almost 95% effective.

Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines would reportedly require two doses.

While Algonquin is still in the planning stage for a COVID-19 vaccination site, a memorandum of understanding between the two entities was recently reviewed by the Village Board’s Committee of the Whole.

The agreement would run from Nov. 1 through Dec. 30, 2021. A separate agreement the health department has with the county fairgrounds is effective Nov. 1 through May 1.

Under the agreement with the fairgrounds, MCDH would reimburse the Fair Board and Club Town Inc. for the use of utility costs incurred while using the facility. No financial terms are involved with the contract with Algonquin.

Bob Mitchard, public works director for the village of Algonquin, said the public works facility would work “perfectly” for what the health department needs.

“We’ve had successful public events, like shredding events, electronic recycling, where we’ve used our facility as a drive-thru facility to facilitate those types of events. It’s worked out really well,” Mitchard said.

The facility is also in a “pretty isolated” area with good capacity to handle the public, Mitchard said. If the area does get overloaded, the plan is to work with some local businesses to help reroute some heavier traffic.

There are two garage doors on each end of the public works building, Mitchard said.

“We would operate out of half of the building as the public works crew, and then they would have the other half of the building to utilize for vaccinations,” he said.

Algonquin’s public works employees currently work out of three facilities in an attempt to keep people protected from COVID-19. So, if they ended up having to operate remotely, they would be able to do that as well, Mitchard said, sadding that any areas where the public would be walking or entering would be sanitized.

He also plans on having one facility manager in charge of logistics when the vaccinations start and one manager who would be the contact between the health department and the village.

Karras said nurses and other health department staff, along with volunteers, would be working at the COVID-19 vaccine site. The MCDH would work with the village’s police department.

A final site plan and distribution details for Algonquin’s vaccine distribution center would be approved by Mitchard, as well as Algonquin’s police chief, its fire chief and MCDH representatives.

“We’re excited that it looks like there’s going to be vaccines soon, and we’re happy to help distribute it to the community,” Mitchard said.

When the vaccine does come out, one challenge the health department expects, Karras said, is prioritization of who gets it first. This was an issue during the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic as well, she said.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois Department of Public Health will provide the priority list, local health departments are given some leeway on how to prioritize within these groups.

“As the vaccine becomes available, notifying the public who’s eligible at what time and confirming that eligibility into clinics will be a challenge,” Karras said.

Even at the beginning of the pandemic, Karras said, making sure people were getting factual information was challenging and she doesn’t see this changing with the vaccine.

“To try and to get the right information out there about the vaccine, the safety, the efficacy, the two-dose series, and that it needs to be the same manufactured dose ... this is where it’s going to be really important,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of effort to get that messaging out there.”