Will County health official: COVID-19 vaccine distribution will take months

A top public health official in Will County detailed local efforts and roadblocks to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations this week as her department has gotten slammed with inquiries.

Sue Olenek, the executive director of the Will County Health Department, fielded questions Wednesday from members of the county board’s Public Health and Safety Committee. Many of the members said they’ve been hearing from residents anxious to find out when they can get vaccinated and frustrated by the slow pace of progress.

Olenek stressed it will take time for the supply of vaccine doses to eventually meet the high demand.

“This is going to be months,” she said. “You may register and you may not get an appointment for two months.”

Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, who chairs the committee, said several county officials and agencies have been working hard to get the vaccination process going, but they’re limited by the supplies coming from the state and federal governments.

“We are all anxious to get back to everyday life,” she said. “I understand the need.”

Ventura acknowledged some may disagree with aspects of the distribution process, such as which residents should prioritized. But she said it was good the state has focused on equity and fairness in its plan.

About 125,000 residents signed up with the county health department to get notified when it’s their turn to get vaccinated. Olenek said with her limited staff, it takes time to get to all the eligible residents who want to receive a shot.

That’s why she and the Will County Executive’s Office are seeking about $5 million to set up a call center to help the health department simply reach out to residents and field calls. Olenek said the health department’s COVID-19 hotline, which was initially set up to answer basic questions about the disease and testing, has been crashing due to the sheer volume of calls.

“The hotline is not working at all,” she said.

Olenek told committee members her department aims to outsource their call system to a company so calls get answered and to alleviate pressure on her staff.

One major positive Olenek pointed to was the number of volunteers who have stepped forward to help administer shots. She said nurses and nursing students from local colleges have volunteered to help the health department at its clinic where older residents are getting vaccinated.

She also pointed to other efforts like AMITA Health, the Joliet Fire Department and Joliet Township High School 204′s clinic to vaccinate area teachers which started this week.

Olenek added she hopes the public will eventually be able to register for an appointment to get vaccinated via an online system. Steve Brandy, a spokesman for the Will County Health Department, said the state is working on such a registration system for the public to use soon, but they don’t have a specific timetable for when it will be available.

The health department is working to vaccinate residents eligible for a vaccine under Phase 1B of the state’s distribution plan. This includes persons age 65 and older and frontline essential workers like first responders, education workers, food and agriculture workers, and many more.

As of Thursday, more than 13,000 people in Will County had been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, representing about 1.9% of the county’s total population, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

About 256,000 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated, which is about 2% of the state’s population.

For more information, visit willcountyhealth.org.