OTTAWA – The LaSalle County Health Department, in coordination with the LaSalle County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office received and delivered their second shipment of Pfizer vaccine to all three hospitals in the county on Wednesday. Hospitals will begin providing the second dose of Pfizer vaccine to their front-line healthcare workers who received their first dose in mid-December. “The partnership with our local hospitals has been instrumental in ensuring efficient and safe distribution of the vaccine to our county’s healthcare workers in this initial phase of vaccine distribution, known as Phase 1a,” said Julie Kerestes, Public Health Administrator of LaSalle County Health Department.
Hospital system personnel and most EMS workers will be vaccinated through the hospital systems, and other healthcare providers not affiliated with a hospital will coordinate with the LaSalle County Health Department and will be provided information and direction on receiving the vaccination at one of our local hospitals.
Any healthcare employee working in LaSalle County not affiliated with a hospital system, is encouraged to visit the LaSalle County Health Department at www.lasallecounty.org, click the red COVID-19 Vaccine icon on the right side of the page, there you will find a red “Healthcare Employee Vaccine Sign-Up” link where you can register to receive a vaccination.
LaSalle County is in Phase 1a of vaccine administration, which includes healthcare personnel and long-term care facilities. It is unknown how long we will remain in this phase, as timing depends on the quantity of vaccine received each week and the number of interested persons in this phase.
The LaSalle County Health Department understands the general public has questions about when it will be their turn to receive the vaccine. Please note, as vaccine availability increases, vaccination recommendations will expand to include more groups. The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as large quantities of vaccine are available. As vaccine supply increases but remains limited, ACIP, and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will expand the groups recommended for vaccination.
The LaSalle County Health Department is currently planning for Phase 1b and working to determine eligible organizations and number of doses needed at future clinics. The LaSalle County Health Department is not keeping a list of interested community members for future phases. As LaSalle County moves to Phase 1B, information and directions will be made available as to how to register for the vaccine once eligible. We will be reaching out to eligible organizations and/or providing information through our local media partners, social media pages, and website with information regarding clinics when we move forward into Phase 1b. More information about future phases will be available soon. The LaSalle County Health Department will be diligent in updating the public regarding the COVID-19 vaccination plan for the county. Please watch for more information from the LaSalle County Health Department through our website: www.lasallecounty.org, social media pages, and with our local media partners.
