Joliet West vaccination site needs vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Joliet West High School has been closed since Monday because it has no vaccine.

“We missed 1,200 vaccinations a day by being closed,” Joliet Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeff Carey said Wednesday.

Those were all to be vaccinations for people 65 and older who are waiting for the arrival of more vaccine.

The clinic being staffed by Joliet paramedics, volunteer nurses and others would remain closed today, Carey said. It would open Friday if vaccine arrives, but there were no indications the vaccine would be available by then.

The delayed vaccinations show the local impact of a vaccine shortage that has been widely reported nationally since the deep freeze and winter snowstorms hit most parts of the country early last week.

“It’s just low right now for initial contacts and second doses,” Will County Health Department spokesman Steve Brandy said.

Brandy, however, by Wednesday afternoon said the county had reports that shipments of second-dose vaccines are likely to arrive this week and again next week.

The county health department is the central distribution point for vaccines to clinics, including its own, pharmacies and others providing the vaccine in Will County.

“Most of it is on hold until first doses come in,” Brandy said.

The promise of second-dose vaccines on the way should allow the clinic at Joliet West to reopen Monday.

“Next week, we start second doses,” Carey said. “They have to come. People are already scheduled.”

That means teachers who were the first to be vaccinated at the Joliet West clinic would be able to get fully vaccinated.

But vaccinations for seniors, who just started getting the vaccine last week at Joliet West, are being delayed with the shortage in first-dose vaccines.

“This week was going to be all 65 and older,” Carey said.

Carey said he’s heard mixed reports about the cause of the shortage. First, it was the weather. Then, there were reports that an emphasis was being put on delivering the second doses on schedule, which may have delayed the arrival of first doses.

The clinic at the high school field house has vaccinated 10,567 people so far.

That includes an estimated 3,500 seniors who got the first dose of the vaccine last week. But that was going to be stepped up this week until it became apparent there would be no vaccine.

As soon as vaccine arrives, people will be contacted and appointments will be made.

“We’re kind of playing it day by day,” Carey said. “We didn’t have anyone scheduled because they made us aware last week.”