Lake Co. Doles Out 17K Covid Shots To Teachers, Daycare Workers

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Health Department has vaccinated more than 12,500 teachers and childcare workers since early February.

The health department partnered with 45 Lake County public schools to get more shots into the arms of teachers and daycare workers, who are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois, according to a new release from the health department. Starting in early February, Adlai E. Stevenson and Round Lake High School served as COVID-19 vaccination sites and delivered more than 17,000 doses of the vaccine to teachers and daycare workers.

“Vaccinating Lake County’s public and private school education staff and childcare workers has been a priority of our department because of the exposure risks in these settings and the heavy burdens that working families have had to carry throughout this pandemic,” said Mark Pfister, Executive Director at the Lake County Health Department. “We are extremely grateful to the leadership of Adlai E. Stevenson High School and Round Lake High School for their continued partnership, stepping up to the plate to help us vaccinate thousands of Pre-K through 12th grade staff and childcare workers in Lake County.”

In early April, the two schools will temporarily pause vaccination efforts. The sites may reopen once vaccines are approved for school-age children as early as the summer or fall of this year.

“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to make Round Lake High School available for school districts and other areas of the county to receive their vaccine; playing a small part in the monumental process of getting through this pandemic,” said Donn Mendoza, superintendent of schools for District 116. “This takes us another step closer to making in-person learning available to children across the county.”

Preschool through 12th grade teachers, staff and group childcare workers who live or work in Lake County and have not yet been vaccinated can sign up online.

• Where To Sign Up For The Coronavirus Vaccine In Illinois

Second dose appointments for educators will be offered at the Lake County Fairgrounds starting April 3, 2021.

“We are deeply grateful to the Lake County Health Department for their steady leadership during this unprecedented time, especially as they continue with the herculean task of vaccinating all of Lake County,” said Dr. Eric Twadell, Superintendent of District 125 - Stevenson High School. “Our partnership with them has been integral to our work on safely bringing students, faculty and staff back to campuses around Lake County as soon as possible. We are proud to be able to contribute to this effort by serving as a vaccination site for educators and look forward to seeing normalcy restored in our community soon.”

• Food & Drink Staff, Higher Ed Workers Added To Vaccine List

Vaccine eligibility has been expanding across the state and more mass vaccination sites are opening every day. Gov J.B. Pritzker announced this past week the state would open vaccine appointments to all residents 16 and older on April 12.

Starting Monday, the state will also expand Phase 1b Plus to higher education staff, government workers and members of the media, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday. On March 29, the state will add restaurant staff, construction workers and religious leaders to the list.

Chicago, going its own way, is skipping Phase 1b Plus and will expand eligibility to all essential workers, including retail staff, as part of Phase 1c on March 29. The state's expansion to more workers is essentially the same as the previously announced Phase 1c, though the state seems to have abandoned that terminology and shifted timelines.

"From the very beginning of our COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Illinois has ensured our most vulnerable residents receive first access to these life-saving doses, from our healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff, to our 65 and over population and those living with pre-existing conditions, to frontline essential workers who are more exposed to COVID-19 at their workplaces," Pritzker said in a statement. "Before Illinois expands eligibility to all residents 16 years and older on April 12, I'm proud to announce expanded eligibility for additional groups of more vulnerable populations. With weekly shipments to Illinois surpassing one million doses in April, we are on track to save lives and bring this pandemic to an end."

To date, 76,000 residents, more than 11 percent of Lake County's population, been fully vaccinated. In Illinois, 4.5 million people have received their COVID-19 vaccine and more than 13 percent have received both their Moderna and Pfizer shots, which requires two doses, or the one-dose Johnson and Johnson shot.

The seven-day rolling average of daily shots being administered in Lake County stands at 5,500, which is a significant jump from a month earlier when only 3,300 shots were being doled out every day.