Vaccine

When the U.S. ended its COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, it changed the way hospitals are supplied with vaccine doses. CGH Medical Center's order of 50 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine currently is on backorder.

The preliminary results buoy hope that after decades of failure and frustration, vaccines against RSV may finally be getting close.

The Whiteside County Health Department is offering the updated Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent booster doses at its clinic at 1300 W. Second St. in Rock Falls.

Second doxes part of Milledgeville vaccine clinic

A COVID-19 vaccination clinic is scheduled for next week in DeKalb Township, according to a news release.

Bob Manam, a doctor and infectious disease specialist with Northwestern Medicine who’s spent the past nearly 530 days working the COVID-19 wards at Kishwaukee and Valley West hospitals, said there’s been a “notable uptick” in virus-related admissions in the past two weeks in DeKalb County. Who are the patients? "By far, it is the unvaccinated," he said.

DeKalb County Health Department’s new mobile health unit, obtained through a collective community effort to pool funds, is being rolled out for use around the county, and will be at Kishwaukee College Wednesday and Thursday offering walk-in COVID-19 vaccines.

DeKalb County residents who still need the COVID-19 vaccine may have an even easier time accessing it now, as the DeKalb County Health Department announced Tuesday its received a mobile vehicle which allows them to take the vaccine directly to residents.

Less than a month into her new role leading the county’s largest school district, Minerva Garcia-Sanchez and the DeKalb school board have a significant decision to make: Will DeKalb District 428 require masks when school returns in a few weeks? “Being a leader in education means that you have to be a team player," she said.

The Twin City Farmers Market will have a free vaccine clinic from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 3.

The DeKalb County Health Department is offering free walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations weekdays at its DeKalb building, no appointments needed.

As of Wednesday, DeKalb County reports more than 38%, or nearly 40,000 people out of the 104,000 countywide population, are fully vaccinated against the virus. With that in mind, local health officials said they support the plan to fully reopen Friday.

Amid a drop in local COVID-19 vaccine demand which so far has seen just shy of 35% of the county's population fully vaccinated, the DeKalb County Health Department will shift gears to a new vaccine distribution model, and announced this week the Illinois National Guard has ended its deployment.

On Thursday, 12-year-old Henry Williams of Sycamore received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. He compared the shot to a bee sting or getting hit with a NERF gun dart. “My parents already received their first shot, so I’m all for it,” Williams said.

“A challenge I foresee is how we’re going to verify which students and staff are vaccinated because we must maintain privacy and confidentiality,” Wilder said. “We just have to make sure to find a way that everyone is staying safe and following the guidelines.” Local school, business officials react to CDC’s new guidance regarding mask-wearing for fully vaccinated.

The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only one available to those 16 or 17, along with anyone older. The walk-in clinic will be Thursday, May 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center, 1525 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

According to recent data published by the Centers for Disease Control, millions of Americans who’ve received either Moderna or Pfizer vaccine are not showing up for their second dose appointments. Local health officials say they've not recorded a significant amount of second dose vaccine hesitancy in DeKalb County. Here's how vaccine rollout is a 'race against the virus' and why full vaccination matters, say local medical professionals:

“We will plan on administering our J&J doses within the next 10 days,” Executive Director of the Kendall County Health Department RaeAnn VanGundy wrote in an email. “The FDA and CDC have confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.”

“For people who got the vaccine more than a month ago, the risk for them is very low at this time,” Schuchat said. “For people who recently got the vaccine in the last couple weeks, they should be aware to look for any symptoms.

If you were scheduled to receive a Johnson & Johnson vaccine appointment this week, you’ll have to reschedule for a Moderna or Pfizer dose at a different time, said DeKalb County health officials Tuesday morning.

Northern Illinois University students have the opportunity to register this week for two upcoming COVID-19 one-dose vaccine clinics.

“So it may mean people are still waiting because I don’t have enough vaccine to offer appointments for the demand,” Gonzalez said. “That’s how it’s been since the beginning and I don’t see that changing anytime in the near future. If by the 12th of April it truly is increased, great, but based on what I’ve seen so far it’s sort of hard to believe that we’d be able to accommodate that number of people who would all of a sudden be eligible.”

Those wishing to book an appointment for their COVID-19 vaccine with the DeKalb County Health Department are being urged to call the department through a hotline to help streamline the process.

‘It’s really unusual that we would be provided with such little vaccine,’ health department director says

The DeKalb County Health Department reported Friday that so far, local health officials have organized 48 mass vaccination clinics and administered over 10,000 vaccines to those currently eligible who live or work in the county.

Pritzker announced expansion for younger residents with underlying conditions

President Biden has promised enough doses for all American adults by this summer. There’s not much even the Defense Production Act can do to deliver doses before then.

Much of the coming shipments will be used for residents' second doses

COVID-19 vaccine clinics scheduled this week for Sycamore District 427 educators have been canceled due to reduced vaccine allocations, according to a 2 p.m. announcement Wednesday from the district.

Here’s what you should know if for some reason you’re unable to make your scheduled appointment for your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Weekly dose allotment will be between just 200 and 300 doses per week down from 1,200

Here’s what some are saying about pharmacy vaccine rollout, here’s how to register and where to seek help if you have questions

About 1,500 district staff members will be vaccinated for COVID-19

“This shows people trust the process. They trust the vaccine itself,” said RaeAnn VanGundy, executive director of the Kendall County Health Department. “We’re all in this together. Let’s get rid of this (the virus).”

County Board calls special meeting Monday to approve contract with Chicago firm

The COVID-19 vaccine finally arrived to Bickford of Oswego on Friday, Jan. 22 - and the facility threw a proper party for the event.

Kendall County reaches ninth-highest vaccination rate in the state thus far.

With federal authorities expediting vaccine distribution, the new Yorkville government building at 651 Prairie Pointe Drive could turn into a critical node in local vaccination efforts.

The health department has previously said they estimate 700 vaccinations county-wide by some time this week.