Front-line health care workers in McLean County received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, December 18, 2020.
“We’re excited to be receiving some of McLean County’s first supply of COVID-19 vaccines,” stated Colleen Kannaday, President, Carle BroMenn Medical Center. “This arrival marks a very important step in the fight against COVID-19 and moving towards a healthier future. While we are still in the tunnel, we can begin to see the light at the end.”
The McLean County Health Department has been anticipating the arrival of vaccine, and planning with OSF Health Care St. Joseph Medical Center and Carle BroMenn Medical Center for the inevitable first shipments for several weeks.
“Today is a historic moment in public health to be celebrated,” said Jessica McKnight, Administrator of McLean County Health Department. “We were not initially expecting to get vaccine with the first shipment, but we also know that where we are located geographically, our hospitals provide care for several of the counties that were on the list.”
McLean County was not on the list of 50 counties in the state with the highest death rates per capita, but when local public health officials were contacted about the possibility of receiving a small allotment of unused doses from a surrounding county on the list the answer was, of course, yes.
It has been nine months since McLean County reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Since then, 10,538 additional cases have been added to the county’s total. The county has reported 85 COVID-related deaths to date, and the pandemic has touched the lives of many.
“This is a big day for McLean County,” remarked Lynn Fulton, President, OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center. “Our frontline caregivers have faced this pandemic head on while fearlessly providing comprehensive, compassionate care. Today I was honored to witness some of these heroes take a historic step toward the end of COVID-19. A vaccine is our best shot to eradicate the virus, and we are so proud to be able to offer its protection to our eligible caregivers.”
McKnight says that the Health Department is expecting regular shipments of vaccine going forward, but that the amount of vaccine is limited, and it could take months before it is more widely available.
“We’ve been talking about a vaccine and anxiously waiting for it for what feels like so long,” McKnight said. “It’s here, but it doesn’t mean that the fight is over. We are one step closer to the finish line. It will be important that we all continue wearing our face coverings, watching our distance, and washing our hands to protect our loved ones and community until the vaccine becomes more widely available and administered to the general public.”
photos provided by McLean Co.Health Dept
