McHenry County receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine

The McHenry County Department of Health received the county’s first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday and is in the process of distributing thousands of doses to McHenry County hospitals and participating long-term care facilities.

The shipment contains 4,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna, which received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 18, according to a news release sent out by the McHenry County health department on Monday.

The vaccine doses currently are being distributed to Mercyhealth and Northwestern Medicine facilities in the county as well as long-term care and congregate living facilities who opted to receive vaccines from the McHenry County health department to administer directly to residents and staff, according to the release.

“Offering protection to our health care workers, who have selflessly put themselves at risk since the start of this pandemic, and to those living in long-term care facilities who disproportionately suffered more hospitalizations and deaths compared to the rest of the population, is a great way to begin 2021 and an even better beginning to the end of this pandemic,” Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson said in the release.

Long-term care facilities were given the option to work with pharmacies such as CVS or Walgreens to provide doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to staff and residents or to get doses directly from their local health department.

In distributing its allotted vaccines, McHenry County will be adhering to the three-phase vaccine prioritization recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the release. Phase 1 of the recommended plan is made up of three tiers with front-line health care personnel and long-term care facilities being in the Phase 1a tier.

The county’s first vaccine doses will be provided to all interested hospital personnel, emergency medical service personnel and long-term care facility staff and residents, as the plan recommends.

“Our goal is to get everyone in McHenry County their vaccine doses,” Adamson said in the release. “We ask for everyone’s patience as it will take time before the vaccine is available to the general public.”

The county anticipates moving to Phase 1b of the plan in the coming weeks, according to the release.

Phase 1b currently includes essential infrastructure workers. This is defined as employees in the education sector, food and agriculture, utilities, police, firefighters, corrections officers and transportation workers.

Phase 1c includes adults with high-risk medical conditions and people 65 years and older who do not live in a long-term care facilities.

Throughout this process, the health department will be using an electronic registration system for all COVID-19 vaccine clinics to ensure that everyone is vaccinated efficiently and safely, according to the release.

”To obtain full efficacy of the vaccine, two doses are needed,” Public Health Nursing Director Susan Karras said in the release. “Stay informed with our vaccination progress in McHenry County through our e-notification, and register for your vaccine when it becomes available to you.”