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COVID Vaccine Information For Sangamon County

COVID-19 vaccination site at the Illinois State Fairgrounds
Mary Hansen
/
NPR Illinois
COVID-19 vaccination site at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

The Sangamon County Department of Public Health announced Tuesday it is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 16 or older for its vaccination clinics at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and at the county health department. The expanded eligibility is only for the county sites.

HSHS Medical Group also announced Monday it expanded eligibility for its vaccination site to anyone 18 or older.

The minimum age to receive the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines is 18, but anyone 16 or older can get the Moderna shot.

The Illinois State Fairgrounds site is offering the Pfizer vaccine, while the county’s site has the Moderna shot. HSHS Medical Group is offering both, according to a Monday news release.

In addition to these options, Memorial Physicians Group, SIU Medicine, Hy-Vee pharmacy, and nine Walgreens locations in Springfield are now offering the shots to qualified members of the public. Springfield Clinic has appointments for its patients as well.

These vaccination sites are following Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines for who is eligible to get the shot. This includes medical professionals, seniors 65 and older, some frontline workers, and adults with some underlying conditions, such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.

IDPH’s full guidelines can be found here (coronavirus.illinois.gov). A list of those currently eligible in Phase 1A,Phase 1B and Phase 1B+ is also on the website.

Illinois is scheduled to expand eligibility to anyone 16 and older on April 12. The state health department announced that any county can expand who is eligible for the shot depending on vaccine availability in their area.

Orr Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds

The Illinois National Guard and the Sangamon County Department of Public Health recently expanded hours at the mass vaccination site at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and have opened appointments through April. The clinic is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The appointments — up to 1,500 appointments per day — can be made on SCDPH’s website or by calling 217-210-8800.

Gov. JB Pritzker and IDPH are coordinating with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois National Guard and county health department to run the site.

Trained National Guard and contracted nurses will give the COVID-19 shots in the Orr Building. Vaccinations are free of charge, and state officials encouraged people to check the website frequently for new slots, according to a statement from Pritzker’s office.

Sangamon County Department of Public Health, 2833 South Grand Ave. E

Sangamon County residents can sign up for appointments via the hotline, 217-321-2606, or website (SCDPH.org). A portion of the 400 appointments a day can only be booked via the hotline.

For announcements of new appointment slots, the county health department will send out alerts by text or email from the Sangamon Alert Messaging (SAM) system.

Registration is available on the county’s website, co.sangamon.il.us/SAM , or by texting SAM to 99411. Registrants must click the “Public Health” notification box when signing up to get alerts about COVID-19 vaccinations.

The drive-thru site is open seven days a week. Sangamon County health department Director Gail O’Neill urged seniors who have trouble accessing the online appointment scheduler to call the health department’s vaccine hotline: 217-321-2606.

HSHS Medical Group, 1118 Legacy Point Drive

HSHS Medical Group is offering appointments March 22-26 at its drive-thru clinic in the Scheels’ parking lot, 1118 Legacy Pointe Drive in Springfield, Illinois.

Qualified members of the public can sign up by creating a free account on the medical group’s patient portal – MyChart. If a person is not currently eligible for a vaccine, they can sign up to get an alert when their group becomes eligible and can schedule an appointment.

Memorial Physician Services, 2925 S. Sixth St.

Memorial Physician Services is now scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations at its drive-thru lab, 2925 S. Sixth St. Individuals do not need to be patients of Memorial Physician Services to get an appointment, but must be 18 or older and meet the state’s current eligibility criteria. Appointments can be made on Memorial’s website (vaccination.mhsil.com). The scheduler indicates which vaccine the person will receive.

Hy-Vee Pharmacy, 2115 S. MacArthur Blvd.

Hy-Vee will serve anyone in current phases of Illinois’ vaccination plan.

People who are eligible can sign up for appointments on Hy-Vee’s website (www.hy-vee.com/my-pharmacy/covid-vaccine-consent).

The pharmacy schedules appointments for a five-day window, and opens up new appointments each morning, according to spokeswoman Christina Gayman. For example, Friday appointments are posted on Monday morning. She recommends checking the website daily for newly available appointments.

People without internet access can call the pharmacy to schedule, but Gayman stressed the pharmacists use the same online appointment system available to the public on the website. The number is 217-726-1001.

Nine Walgreens Locations In Springfield

Walgreens will serve anyone in the current phases of Illinois’ vaccination plan.

Those who are eligible can sign up for an appointment on Walgreens’ website (www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19). You must sign up for an account to access appointment registration.

Locations in Springfield offering the shot, according to IDPH, include: 2020 S MacArthur Blvd.; 2305 W. Monroe St.; 1310 S 5th St.; 2500 S Koke Mill Rd.; 2945 S 6th St. ; 1900 W. Jefferson St.; 2625 Adlai Stevenson Dr.; 2140 N. Peoria Rd.; 3216 E. Clear Lake Ave.

SIU Medicine

Any SIU Medicine patient or Illinois resident eligible under IDPH’s guidelines can request a COVID-19 vaccine appointment on SIU Medicine’s online portal or by calling 217-545-600. SIU’s vaccination clinic is located at 201 E. Madison Street, Springfield.

More information is on SIU Medicine’s website .

Springfield Clinic

Springfield Clinic is offering the COVID-19 shot to eligible patients of its primary care or specialty physicians. Springfield Clinic patients can book an appointment online . Vaccinations are given at the clinic’s drive-thru site at 3040 Hamlin Parkway in Springfield.

Mary Hansen is a former NPR Illinois reporter.
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