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Editor s note: A Year of COVID-19, The State Journal-Register s in-depth look at the pandemic s impact on our lives, continues through March. Watch for stories of challenge and triumph, ingenuity and perseverance, survival and lives remembered.
Springfield’s hotel occupancy rate in January was 27.2%, the lowest monthly rate ever recorded since statistics began being kept almost three decades ago, and the rate was 16 percentage points lower than the same month in 2020.
The statistics were emblematic of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Springfield as a travel and tourism destination.
“It’s been devastating over the past year,” said Scott Dahl, director of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Monday is officially Edward L. Reisch Day in Springfield and Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill is celebrating the former capital city brewmaster by using his Reisch Gold Top Beer in several dishes.
The local brew will be featured in scratch-made brats, as well as the cheese sauce used with the signature Pretzel Tail Pipes and topping horseshoes made with the original Leland Hotel recipe.
George Reisch, Edward’s son, will be at the 600 Toronto Road bar and grill at 4:30 p.m. for a meet and greet. The younger Reisch is a retired brewmaster after 37 years with Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis.
Edward L. Reisch was the last brewmaster at Reisch Brewing Co., which operated in Springfield from 1849 to 1966. The brewery complex which was razed in 1967 was located on the ground currently home to the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Edward Reisch died in July 2019.
Walgreens acknowledged there was a problem but declined to comment on the number of people affected.
“Due to limited functionality in our scheduler at the time, a limited number of individuals were only able to schedule their first dose appointment,” Campbell O’Connor, a Walgreens spokesman said in an emailed statement. “We are committed to providing second doses to these individuals, and our team members are reaching out to all patients affected to attempt to accommodate them. At this time, we have added functionality which allows all individuals to book their first and second dose at the same time. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Mary Hansen / NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS
Illinois has given more than two million vaccinations. But Black residents are less likely to get the shots than their white peers, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data. As of Feb. 22, 4% of Sangamon County’s vaccine doses have gone to Black residents, who make up 13% of the county’s population, according to census numbers.
State and county health officials point to hesitancy – a distrust of the medical establishment about getting the vaccine – as a reason for the gap. Nationwide surveys show there is more hesitancy among Black and Latino communities. Still, advocates for equitable distribution say ensuring access is as urgent as education.