The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) plans to bring back COVID vaccinations to Grossinger Motors Arena in downtown Bloomington this month. The county will host clinics at the arena on Sept. 16, 23 and 30 — the next three Thursdays. The clinics will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
The county used the downtown arena as a mass vaccination site for much of the year, but ended those regular clinics Sept. 1 after demand faded and the COVID vaccine became more widely available.
The health department said the clinics are for people to get their first or second vaccine doses, orfor immunocompromised people who are eligible for an additional shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The additional doses are not yet approved for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
MCHD said all three vaccines will be available for first and second doses.
“Walk-ins for mass vaccination clinics are welcome, but preregistration is strongly recommended if you require or prefer a specific type of vaccine to ensure its availability during your time slot,” the health department said in a news release.
Appointments can be made on the MCHD website, or by calling the health department’s COVID call center at (309) 888-5600 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
COVID caseload drops
McLean County announced 119 new coronavirus cases from the weekend, but the county’s coronavirus caseload dropped. According to the health department, 443 people are isolating at home, 172 people were released from quarantine over the weekend and 20,443 McLean County residents are considered recovered from COVID-19.
Twenty-four McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. That's down six from Friday, but 95% of Bloomington-Normal hospital beds remain full and 92% of intensive care beds are in use. Carle BroMenn Medical Center and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center report they have 29 COVID-19 patients receiving care. That’s down from 31 on Friday.
New data from Urbana-based Carle Health on Monday indicated nearly 82% of its COVID patients systemwide are not vaccinated and 91% of its ICU patients are not vaccinated. OSF HealthCare reported similar numbers on Sept. 8. The Peoria-based health care system said 82% of its COVID patients and 90% of its COVID patients in intensive care have not been vaccinated.
There have been 251 COVID-related deaths reported in McLean County.
McLean County’s testing positivity rate dropped to 3%, its lowest mark since late July. The county’s cumulative positivity rate is 4.6% based on more than 458,800 tests conducted since the start of the pandemic.
COVID vaccinations
Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health indicate more than 182,700 COVID vaccines have been administered in McLean County. Close to 53% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated. The statewide rate is 53.9%.
