‘Eligibility does not mean availability’: DeKalb County health official gives COVID-19 vaccine update

DeKALB – As more and more residents and workers within DeKalb County become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, it remains unclear whether the vaccine supply will catch up to that eligibility, say local health officials.

Lisa Gonzalez, public health administrator for the DeKalb County Health Department, said during the county’s Board of Health meeting on Tuesday that those who work in higher education and media, along with government employees, became eligible to receive the vaccine on Monday in accordance with expanded eligibility announced last week by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Religious leaders, restaurant workers and trades people will become eligible the following week, she said.

“Within the last week or so, we’ve also began to offer opportunities to Phase 1B+, which is individuals 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions,” Gonzalez said.

However, Gonzalez said eligibility for the vaccine in DeKalb County is still limited to individuals who live or work in the county and the county’s allotment is still being determined and shared with them week by week for first and second doses. Although availability for first doses has increased since the Illinois Department of Public Health told local health departments their weekly allotment will be cut for a few weeks back in mid-February, she said the majority of appointments available in the next couple of weeks through the health department will be mostly for second doses.

Gonzalez mentioned Pritzker’s announcement earlier this month that vaccine eligibility is set to expand to 16 years old and older for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and 18 years old and older for the Moderna vaccine by April 12.

“Even when that eligibility is open to everyone, it’s important that we continue to reinforce the message that eligibility does not mean availability and vaccine supplies continue to be limited,” Gonzalez said. “And so we’re really hopeful that, by that time, we will see additional allocation.”

The health department is still only vaccinating patients by appointment only and there still are no walk-in vaccinations being given at this time. Those who need to register still with the health department who qualify under state guidelines can call 815-748-2401 to register if they can’t online.

Gonzalez said the health department has held more than 70 vaccination clinics throughout the county since the end of December of 2020. Through those clinics, they have provided more than 18,000 vaccines since January.

Gonzalez said the health department continues to primarily administer the Moderna vaccine, which requires two doses with 28 days in between. She pointed to the county recently getting a shipment of Pfizer vaccines – which also requires two doses but with 21 days in between – and the county holding a few Pfizer clinics, the most recent one being held on Monday.

Gonzalez said she also anticipates the Johnson and Johnson one dose vaccine will come to the county from the state within the next several weeks.

“We’re still waiting to hear about what that allocation may look like and also the timeline for receipt,” Gonzalez said.

Cindy Graves, nurse practitioner for the DeKalb County Health Department, said the lack of vaccine being put in local people’s arms isn’t from a lack of ability on the health department’s part. That comes after the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center recently became an Illinois National Guard supported site – meaning guardsmen help with administering the vaccine but the vaccine supply is still coming from allocations provided to the county health department from the state, she said.

Graves said she would love to be able to do 2,000-dose clinics every day in the county.

“If we had the vaccine, we certainly could do that,” Graves said. “So just on a Monday through Friday basis, we could knock out 10,000.”

Graves said having NIU School of Nursing students nearby could also help if they need more people to help administer the vaccines.

“So if I’ve got twice as many vaccinators, we easily could do a 2,000 dose clinic a day,” Graves said. “We’re just going to continue to advocate – and the guard’s also helping us to advocate – to try to get more vaccine into the community.”