April 26, 2024
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Kendall County Health Department begins Phase 1b COVID-19 vaccinations

County now tied for fifth-highest vaccination rate in Illinois

By Lucas Robinson
Kendall County Board Chairman Scott Gryder, left, recently visited the county's COVID-19 clinic at the Yorkville Government Center at 651 Prairie Point Drive.

Kendall County Board Chairman Scott Gryder, left, recently visited the county's COVID-19 clinic at the Yorkville Government Center at 651 Prairie Point Drive. At right is RaeAnn VanGundy, executive director of the Kendall County Health Department.

Kendall County has started vaccinating school employees and residents over age 65 for COVID-19 under phase 1b, the executive director of the health department has confirmed.

While some phase 1a vaccines for health care workers and law enforcement remain, county health chief RaeAnn VanGundy said Wednesday, Jan. 20, she expects shots for essential workers and the elderly to ramp up in the coming weeks as health officials await a shipment of potentially 900 new doses.

Residents in phase 1b interested in getting inoculated can fill out a survey and will later be contacted by the health department to schedule a vaccination.

School vaccinations have focused on staff who work in multiple buildings, VanGundy said, adding that health officials don’t yet have enough doses to start general vaccinations for local educators.

With a mobile vaccination clinic set up at the new Yorkville government center building at 651 Prairie Point Drive, approximately a half dozen Yorkville city staffers volunteering at the clinic have also received the vaccine, VanGundy confirmed.

“If they’re volunteering they can chose to be vaccinated because they could have a potential for exposure there,” VanGundy said of vaccinated city employees.

Though local health officials have vaccinated about 1,000 Kendall County residents, 5,089 total county residents have been vaccinated thanks to vaccine campaigns in neighboring counties, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s vaccine database. Kendall County now has a 1.09 percent vaccination rate, tied for fifth highest in the state.

County Board President Scott Gryder meanwhile visited the Yorkville clinic late last week to survey the local vaccination effort.

“I am pleased with the hard work of the Kendall County Health Department staff led by Director VanGundy and their board, help from our municipalities, help from the entire county staff and county board who were able to quickly spring into action, the law enforcement community, our business community and our many volunteers,” Gryder said in a press release.