The Illinois National Guard will be supporting efforts to expand McHenry County’s vaccination capacity later this month, the county health department announced.
The McHenry County Department of Health said on Tuesday that the guard will be supporting vaccination efforts in McHenry County by the end of March.
Two teams — a mobile team and a fixed team — will help the McHenry County Department of Health expand its capacity over the next six to eight weeks.
This will allow the health department to accelerate its vaccination plans to reach more residents and those who work in McHenry County, the department said in a statement.
The health department said they will use data to deploy the mobile team to reach vulnerable, underserved and at-risk populations and businesses.
This targeted approach will help get the vaccine to hard-to-reach residents at greater risk of poor health outcomes associated with COVID-19 infections, officials said. It will also reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in businesses.
The fixed team will support vaccinations at the clinic run by the McHenry County Department of Health clinic at 1900 North Richmond Road in McHenry.
“The presence of the Illinois National Guard does not guarantee our COVID-19 allotments will increase, but with the extra manpower, with each team consisting of six vaccinators and twelve support staff, we can expect to increase our vaccination capacity and move through the Phase 1B priority group quicker,” Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson said.
McHenry County residents and those who work in the county interested in receiving the COVID vaccine should enroll and indicate their interest.
To receive a vaccination at an MCDH-run clinic, those who are interested are asked to enroll online. Those without internet or who need assistance are asked to call the COVID-19 call center at 815-334-4045.
To date, McHenry County has administered 85,416 doses of the vaccine and 30,829 people are fully vaccinated in the county.