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Community partners will hold 11 COVID-19 outreach vaccination clinics in Sauk Valley

Sauk Valley’s percentage of fully vaccinated persons remains below state average

Staff at Dixon Rehab lined up to receive their inoculations, while residents were vaccinated room by room. The Lee County Health Department also is working to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible, and community members are asked be patient as the department waits for doses to arrive, and works to get them distributed quickly.

Staff at Dixon Rehab lined up to receive their inoculations, while residents were vaccinated room by room in a file photo. The Lee County Health Department also is working to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible, and community members are asked be patient as the department waits for doses to arrive, and works to get them distributed quickly.

By Troy E. Taylor

In coming days and weeks there will be 11 opportunities to receive COVID-19 vaccinations at locations in the Sauk Valley through Illinois Community Partners Vaccination Clinics.

The initiative through the Illinois Department of Public Health helps distribute vaccines to groups that have experienced challenges in accessing vaccines, populations that are hard to reach or are hesitant about being vaccinated.

Equity applications to be clinic hosts can be made to the IDPH by racial and ethnic minorities, rural populations, immigrant communities or any group where a clinic could help overcome barriers to vaccination. Some barriers might be language, disability, technology or access to transportation.

Schools, youth organizations, private businesses and service organizations can also serve as a host for a public vaccination event.

The only group that cannot host an event is a vendor.

The percentage of fully vaccinated population of the Sauk Valley remains below the state average of 61.7%. In Lee County, 56.6% of the population is vaccinated. In Ogle it’s 54.23%, Whiteside 49.88% and Carroll 46.26%.

Anyone seeking a vaccination can call the state appointment center at 833-621-1284.

The upcoming community partners clinics are listed below by county. Vaccines offered are abbreviated as follows: Pfizer (P), Moderna (M), Johnson and Johnson (J&J), Pfizer Pediatric (PPed).

Lee County

Jan. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sauk Valley Community College, 173 Illinois Route 2, Dixon. P, M, J&J, PPed.

Feb. 19, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sauk Valley Community College, 173 Illinois Route 2, Dixon. P, M, J&J, PPed.

Whiteside County

Jan. 25, 3 to 7 p.m., Rock Falls Public Library, 1107 7th Ave., Rock Falls. P, M, J&J.

Feb. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Timken Drives, 901 19th Ave., Fulton. P, M.

Ogle County

Jan. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Byron Public Library, 100 S. Washington St., Byron. P, M, J&J, PPed.

Feb. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Forreston Public Library, 204 First Ave., Forreston. P M, J&J.

Feb. 10, 1 p.m., Bertolet Memorial Library, 705 Main St., Leaf River. P, M.

Feb. 11, 1 to 5 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, 308 E. Bryton Road, Mount Morris. P, M, J&J, PPed.

Carroll County

Jan. 28, 2:30 to 7 p.m., Milledgeville High School, Milledgeville. P, M, J&J, PPed.

Feb. 11, 2 to 4 p.m., Savanna Public Library, 326 Third St, Savanna. P, M, J&J.

School and youth outbreaks

There have been two outbreaks involving positive cases in the past week, both in Ogle County.

On Jan. 18, there were fewer than five students and staff at Mary Morgan Elementary.

On Jan. 20, 14 students were connected to the Hawks Wrestling Club Tournament.

Outpatient therapy locations

There are two locations in the Sauk Valley where outpatient therapies are provided free by the Department of Health and Human Services.

IDPH says allocations are extremely limited. These medications are given to the state only two or four times a month, depending on the product.

Persons are encouraged to consider all other options for treatment as suggested by the National Institutes of Health, including remdesivir, before availing themselves of these therapies.

Providers must discuss the risks, benefits and safety profiles before dispensing them.

Sotrovimab, also called SOT, is given intravenously and is effective against the Omicron variant. It is for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients 12 and older weighing at least 40 kilograms. It can be obtained at CGH Medical Center in Sterling.

Paxlovid is an oral medication consisting of two capsules of nirmatrelvir and one capsule of ritonavir. Shipping to Illinois started in the last week of December. The state received 2,040 courses of Paxlovid in its initial release. It is available at Walmart in Sterling.

Pandemic cases and deaths

Here are the updated number of COVID-19 cases and deaths since the pandemic began, according to usafacts.org, which uses government reports to compile its pandemic dashboards.

Whiteside has had 13,271 cases and 255 deaths, Ogle 12,368 cases and 132 deaths, Lee 7,627 cases and 114 deaths, Bureau 7,334 cases and 139 deaths and Carroll 3,515 cases and 45 deaths.

A COVID-19 vaccination clinic was held at Lyons Township High School's North Campus in La Grange on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. The clinic was hosted in cooperation with Albertson's/Jewel-Osco. (Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

DixonSterlingLee CountyWhiteside CountyCOVID-19 Vaccine
Troy Taylor

Troy E. Taylor

Was named editor for Saukvalley.com and the Gazette and Telegraph in 2021. An Illinois native, he has been a reporter or editor in daily newspapers since 1989.