ANDY KRAVETZ
Peoria Journal Star
BRIMFIELD â If he was awake, he was helping someone else, Bob Forney s sons said a day after the Brimfield fire chief lost his seven-week battle with the COVID-19 virus.
Forney, 58, dedicated his life to helping others and gave of himself without thought, said Jacob Forney, himself a firefighter in Kewanee. He wasn t just a dad, he was a mechanic, he was a carpenter, he was the maintenance guy, he said.
Added one of Bob Forney s other sons, Zachery, also a Brimfield firefighter: He was involved in everything. He helped with 4-H. He really had his hand in everything.
PEORIA While many drugs have special storage requirements, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is particularly challenging.
With a storage temperature of as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius, or minus 158 degrees Fahrenheit, the vaccine is forcing major purchases ultra-cold freezers that typically cost between $10,000 and $15,000.
Both hospital systems in central Illinois acquired the ultra-cold freezers months ago in an effort to be prepared when the vaccine began arriving.
Area health departments have also made plans for vaccine storage. Peoria County will rely on the freezer at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, while Tazewell County has purchased a 3 cubic foot unit. Woodford County is also working to get a unit, with hopes that it will arrive in January, said spokeswoman Andrea Ingwersen.
PEORIA Frontline workers lined up down a long hallway leading to the Morron Room at UnityPoint Health-Methodist as the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered there late Wednesday afternoon.
This comes on the heels of the area s first vaccine doses administered Tuesday morning at OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center.
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the state s projected shipment of Pfizer vaccines will likely be cut in half this month, he was informed by federal government officials on Wednesday.
No reason was given for the shortfall, Pritzker said.
“Everybody at every level of government cares deeply about making sure that we’re protecting as many people as quickly as we can, so I don’t want to express frustration with this, said Pritzker, noting that the rollout is a huge logistical process and that other states are in the same predicament.
PEORIA It s possible Peoria County could activate an emergency refrigerated cooler to cope with its morgues coming close to capacity.
If such a move happened, Coroner Jamie Harwood, it s not done out of desperation but rather, out of his desire to be prepared and proactive. It s currently stored in Bartonville, he said.
The trailer, which looks like one hauled by a semi tractor, would be parked an undisclosed location. The purpose of the unit would be to preserve the dignity of people who have passed away. It could make that decision in a day or in an hour. It really depends upon what the volume is at the time, the coroner said. I want to make sure that everyone s loved one are cared for with the ultimate dignity. And as such, I might make the decision sooner rather than later so that people are treated well.