Angela Myers, Henderson County Health Department Administrator, has announced that weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinic hours are from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday at the Henderson County Health Department at 208 West Elm Street in Gladstone, Illinois. The weekly clinics are open to Henderson County residents who are 12 and older. Vaccinations will be given to people needing to receive their first or second vaccination or to individuals who need a third dose of vaccine due to having moderately to severely immunocompromised immune systems. People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.
Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive a third dose. This includes people who have:
- Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
People who are needing the third dose of vaccine should get the same brand of vaccine they received for their first shot, either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, starting eight months after an individual’s second dose. Federal health officials anticipate booster shots will likely be needed for people who received the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Administration of the J&J vaccine did not begin in the U.S until March of 2021, and health officials expect more data on J&J in the next few weeks.
As COVID-19 cases increase in Henderson County due to the delta variant, people who are not vaccinated need to get vaccinated. The delta variant is especially dangerous because of how fast it replicates. New data suggests that it only takes seconds of exposure for the delta variant to infect an individual because levels of virus in a person’s nose and respiratory secretions have a thousand times greater amount of virus than the original alpha virus. One infected person with the delta variant passes the virus on to as many as eight more people. The variant is attacking the unvaccinated at an alarming rate.
There is no cost for the vaccination at the Henderson County Health Department. First-time attendees do need to bring a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, and a Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance card to prove Illinois residency. Youth under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Individuals who are wanting a third dose of the vaccine should bring their “COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card” which they received when they got their first dose of vaccine. Choosing to get a vaccination gives us hope as we continue to fight this virus and look forward to life after COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community is to get the vaccine.
For more information, call Henderson County Health Department at 309-627-2812.
***Report Courtesy of the Henderson County Health Department***
