Grundy County provides update on COVID, flu vaccines

MORRIS – The Grundy County Health Department provided information Tuesday about vaccine availability.

COVID-19 Vaccination

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) data shows that approximately 57% of the eligible population (ages 12 years and older) in Grundy are fully vaccinated, or 49.36% of the entire Grundy population.

A COVID-19 vaccine walk-in clinic for residents of any county is scheduled for this week in Grundy:

Friday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Grundy County Administration Building, 1320 Union Street in Morris.

Available vaccines include:

Pfizer: 1st Dose, 2nd Dose, 3rd Dose or Booster

Boosters of Pfizer are only offered to persons who received Pfizer for 1st and 2nd dose, and prior to April

22. Must be 12 years or older. If under the age of 14 you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. If between the ages of 14-17 you must be accompanied by another adult and have a completed Minor Consent Form if a parent/legal guardian is not with you. Minor Consent Forms can be found on the health department’s website at grundyhealth.com.

Moderna: 1st Dose, 2nd Dose or 3rd Dose

As of the date of this press release, a booster of Moderna is not yet officially recommended by the CDC, nor is the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) updated to include boosters of Moderna.

Must be 18 years old to receive Moderna.

Johnson & Johnson: 1st Dose or 2nd Dose

As of the date of this press release, a booster of JJ is not yet officially recommended by the CDC, nor is the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) updated to include boosters of JJ.

Must be 18 years old to receive Johnson & Johnson.

Third Doses (Pfizer or Moderna): People who are immunocompromised may consider obtaining a 3rd dose of an mRNA vaccine now, which includes Pfizer and Moderna. Residents who are immunocompromised may obtain a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and should get a third dose of whichever one they received for first and second doses.

Included in the CDC’s recommendation are people with a range of conditions, such as recipients of organ or stem cell transplants, people with advanced or untreated HIV infection, active recipients of treatment for cancer, people who are taking some medications that weaken the immune system, and others.

Boosters (Pfizer only): Booster shots of Pfizer vaccine are now approved, and the IDPH has adopted the CDC recommendations for booster doses. CDC recommends:

• People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series.

• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,

• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.

• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.

Some media sources have started to share that boosters of Moderna and JJ are soon to be available. As of the date of this press release, only boosters of Pfizer are approved. Persons looking for a booster will have to have had Pfizer for their first and second dose at least 6 months ago. Boosters of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are yet not authorized, and mixing and matching of vaccines is not yet recommended by CDC/IDPH. When final guidance is released by federal agencies and adopted by IDPH, Grundy County Health Department will have all available.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination

High-dose and regular flu vaccine is available by appointment at the Health Department. Different influenza (flu) vaccines are approved for use in people in different age groups. In addition, some vaccines are not recommended for certain groups of people. Factors that can determine a person’s suitability for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health (current and past) and any allergies to flu vaccine or its components.

For more information and to determine which vaccine is best for you, please consult your primary care provider. All doses are quadrivalent, protecting against influenza A (H1N1 & H3N2) and 2 influenza B viruses.

Flu vaccine is available by calling 815-941-3404.