OSF HealthCare has administered just over 4,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the past three weeks in the Tri-County region, according to nursing director Sarah Overton.
OSF started vaccinating patients in mid-January in category 1B which includes people aged 65 and over. Overton said that almost 100% of patients in Peoria County received an invitation to the vaccine interview.
“So now we are planning a second dose, which means that we have to be able to bring everyone we just vaccinated and also maintain our quota,” said Overton.
These funds are provided by county health departments to vaccination sites and are distributed at the state and federal levels.
OSF patient Doug Mooney said he was relieved to have the opportunity to get his first vaccination.
“Well, it’s been a long time, so when they called, we’re here,” said Mooney.
Lisabeth Pongracz, who runs OSF’s vaccination facility in Peoria, said the vaccination process normally takes 20 minutes. Patients arrive for a scheduled appointment and are registered and screened before vaccination. After receiving the injection, patients remain in place for a brief observation before scheduling a follow-up visit and then leaving.
Pongracz said the clinic currently administers around 500 vaccines a day. She gave credit to the team and volunteers for overcoming the initial challenges to increase resources and accommodations to meet the flow of patients.
“Now that we have the vaccine and we are distributing it … there is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel and we see this every day in patients,” said Pongracz.
UnityPoint Health and Heartland Health Services are also conducting COVID-19 vaccinations for appointment 1B populations in the Tri-County area. Several commercial pharmacies, including HyVee, Walgreens and Kroger, are also offering vaccines to those who are currently qualified.
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