According to chief nurse Sarah Overton, OSF HealthCare has administered just over 4,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the Tri-County area in the past three weeks.
OSF began vaccinating patients in Category 1B, including people 65 and older, in mid-January. Overton said nearly 100% of those patients in Peoria County have been invited to their vaccination appointment.
“So now we’re switching to the second dose, which means we need to have the capacity to bring everyone we’ve just vaccinated and keep up with our allotment,” Overton said.
Those allocations are made by the county’s health departments to vaccination sites and depend on distribution at the state and federal levels.
OSF patient Doug Mooney said he was relieved to have the chance to get his first vaccination.
“Well, it took a long time, so when they called, we’re here,” Mooney said.
Lisabeth Pongracz, who manages the OSF vaccination facility in Peoria, said the vaccination process typically takes 20 minutes. Patients arrive for a scheduled appointment and are registered and screened before vaccination. After receiving the injection, patients remain on site for a brief observation before scheduling a follow-up visit and then leaving.
Pongracz said the clinic is currently administering about 500 vaccinations a day. She appreciated staff and volunteers for overcoming the initial challenges of ramping up resources and accommodation to accommodate the influx of patients.
“Now that we have the vaccine and distribute it … there is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel and we see that every day from the patients,” said Pongracz.
UnityPoint Health and Heartland Health Services also perform COVID-19 vaccinations for 1B populations by appointment in the Tri-County area. Several commercial pharmacies, including HyVee, Walgreens and Kroger, also offer vaccinations for those who are currently eligible.
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