Knox County, IL - The Knox County Unified Command is expanding vaccine eligibility effective today, March 29, 2021 to ALL Illinois Residents 18 and older at its clinic at the Knox County Unified Command Vaccine Center, located at the Knox County Farm Bureau. Appointments are still available for this week's clinics on Monday, March 29th and Tuesday, March 30th.
The Illinois Department of Public Health gave local health departments the authority on Friday to expand to broader groups, based upon unfilled appointments and increased vaccine availability.
Appointments must be scheduled in advance. Links for the online registration are available at www.knoxcountyhealth.org and the Knox County Health Department & Knox Community Health
Center Facebook page. The vaccine provided at these clinics is Moderna and it is authorized for residents 18 and older. Moderna is a two-dose series that is 90-95 percent effective after both vaccinations with the second dose at 28 days later as directed by the manufacturer. Individuals will receive a vaccination record card with their return date for the second dose.
Until almost everyone vaccinated, we must continue basic public health infection controls:
● Stay home as much as possible and especially when ill
● Wear a face covering when you are in public
● Keep at least 6 feet between you and anyone else in public
● Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
“The COVID-19 vaccine continues to be a critical tool to safely reach the other side of this pandemic. Through efficient and effective distribution of the vaccine, we can suppress the spread of the virus, save as many lives as possible, and begin to rebuild our economy,” states Gabriel. As we move forward, it is critical that we all continue to follow public health recommendations to suppress the spread of the virus.”
Credible sources for information about COVID-19 include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov and Illinois Department of Public Health www.dph.illinois.gov. The following webpage, http://gis.ci.galesburg.il.us/COVID, is the official source of information on COVID-19 numbers for Knox County. For general questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931, email dph.sick@illinois.gov or call your Knox County Health Department at 309-344-2224.