AP
The Oakley-Lindsay Center in Quincy a five-hour drive from Chicago became an unlikely go-to spot during the pandemic. The regional convention center along the Mississippi River has distributed 25,000 vaccine doses per month, including thousands to Chicagoans who had trouble booking shots here.
But the costs to run the mass vaccine site, even with new, reduced hours and lower demand lately, still run into the thousands each day, said Jerrod Welch, the public health administrator of the Adams County Health Department.
It’s $50,000 a month to lease the convention center. Staff are paid $20 per hour. At its peak, the total operating cost to run the mass vaccine site every month is $175,000.
Sangamon County has opened two COVID-19 mass vaccination sites to walk-in patients as demand for the vaccine slows down.
The sites in the Orr Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and at the Sangamon County Department of Public Health headquarters on South Grand Avenue are providing vaccinations to people who have appointments as well as those who decide to walk-up and receive their shot. The Orr Building provides the Pfizer vaccine while the South Grand facility provides the Moderna shot.
SCDPH Director Gail O Neill said with daily vaccination numbers declining, the importance of getting as many people vaccinated as possible is essential in reaching herd immunity.
The Springfield Mass Transit District s walk-up vaccination clinic went off with few problems Thursday, helping provide Springfield residents with a quick and easy way to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Turnout for the clinic was relatively steady early in the day, with 30-35 people showing up in the first two hours. No appointments were required and people who got a vaccine also received a pair of free bus tokens to cover transportation costs. The Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were provided, with those receiving the two-shot Pfizer jab being scheduled for a follow-up clinic on May 25.
SMTD executive director Steve Schoeffel said people were outside the transfer center prior to the 9 a.m. opening of the clinic, seeking a chance to receive their shot.
By WMAY Newsroom
Mid-West Family/Kevin Hart
The COVID-19 mass vaccination site at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is now accepting walk-ins.
No appointment is required to obtain the two-dose Pfizer vaccine at the Orr Building. However, you can still schedule an appointment if you prefer, through the Sangamon County Department of Public Health website, scdph.org.
The clinic is open from 9am to 3pm Tuesdays through Fridays, and 9am to 12:30pm Saturdays and Sundays.
As the number of people fully vaccinated for COVID-19 continues to increase in Sangamon County, local health officials are indicating that fewer people are meeting vaccination appointments, a possible sign that the county may be hitting the limit of who is willing to receive the vaccine.
Overall, 67,499 people 34.55% of the population have received at least two doses of the vaccine through Thursday, but Gail O Neill, the director of the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, says that fewer people are flowing into mass vaccination sites at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and at the department s office on South Grand Avenue. She said that people who were anxious to get the vaccine early managed to do so, making it a challenge for the county to try and get more people to receive their vaccine.