Local hospitals will receive first shipments of vaccines this week

COVID-19 vaccine shipments are expected to arrive this week in La Salle and Bureau counties.

The initial supply will be for health care personnel and long-term care facility residents and staff.

The vaccine was approved over the weekend by the Federal Drug Administration with 43,000 doses arriving Monday in Illinois.

The first vaccinations were distributed to the 50 counties statewide with the highest death rates per capita, and La Salle and Bureau counties were among them.

St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley received roughly 150 doses in this initial distribution of the vaccine, a hospital spokesperson said.

“Patient-facing” workers with the highest risk of exposure will have it offered first. This includes the emergency department, ICU, second-floor medical/surgical nurses and hospitalist physicians, among other clinical providers, such as respiratory therapy, lab, diagnostic imaging, drive-thru test center staff and others.

Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru expects its shipment will arrive sometime Wednesday, after first being inspected by the La Salle County Health Department.

OSF HealthCare, which has facilities in Ottawa, Streator and Mendota, didn’t have a timetable for when its facilities would be receiving or distributing the vaccine as of Monday.

“OSF HealthCare is encouraged by the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an emergency use authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine,” said Paul Arco, media relations coordinator for OSF. “The state of Illinois will be managing the distribution of the vaccine, in collaboration with the federal government, through local county health departments, and we are still learning about delivery timing. A vaccine is our best shot to eradicate the virus, and we are looking forward to our initial allotment and will proudly offer the vaccine to our eligible frontline caregivers.”

Each hospital in the region put together a team to plan for the widespread distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, which will occur in phases.

The vaccines need special requirements for shipment, storage, administration and shelf life, among many other logistic hurdles.

Located in Grundy County, which was not on the list of 50 counties to receive the first round of distribution, Morris Hospital is waiting word on when it will receive vaccinations.

“We haven’t been told when we will receive supply or how much, but we anticipate it will be within the next week, and we are ready,” said Janet Long, public relations manager at Morris Hospital.

Livingston County also was not one of the first 50 counties selected for the first round of the vaccine. Livingston County Health Department health officials said they anticipate receiving the first limited doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the next one to two weeks.

The vaccinations require a second shot. Without a second dose, the effectiveness may be reduced. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the first dose of the vaccine will provide some protection, but the recommendation is to receive two doses to be protected as intended.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are structuring shipments in such a way that 21 or 28 days after the first shipment, the same number of doses will be shipped, so providers will have enough vaccine for a second dose, state health officials said.