McHenry County Health Officials Keeping Up With COVID Booster Demands

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — After an updated COVID-19 vaccine was released across Illinois this week, McHenry County health officials say they have enough doses of the shots to keep up with the demand of local residents.

A spokeswoman for the McHenry County Health Department told Patch on Friday that the county currently has 876 doses of the Pfizer bivalent booster shot and 190 doses of the Moderna shot for use among county residents.

Federal health organizations provided authorization for the use of the bivalent booster, which protects not only against the original strain of the virus but against the newest two strains of omicron strains of COVID-19, which accounts for nearly 99 percent of new cases of the virus, health officials said.

In McHenry County, the health department began recently accepting appointments for the updated booster. The spokeswoman for the agency said that based on current demand, health officials are able to meet all of the scheduled appointments.

The updated Moderna booster is authorized for residents ages 18 and older while the Pfizer is approved for patients ages 12 and up, county health officials said. The county said it is accepting booster applications at its health department locations in Crystal Lake and in Woodstock.

Walk-in appointments are welcomed, but health officials said they are based on availability. County health officials said that it is preferred that those seeking booster shots make appointments in advance by calling the department at (815) 334-4500 or by clicking here.