A drive-thru COVID-19 mass vaccination site for the Peoria area isn't outside the realm of possibility.
But Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson says whether it actually happens depends on how much Johnson & Johnson vaccine the area receives.
"What we are seeing with Johnson & Johnson is they're very good with our drive-thru clinics, which we don't have in our area," she said. "And so if we see a lot of allocation for Johnson & Johnson, that's something that we would stand up as one of our options."
Hendrickson said in that scenario, the local hospitals would continue focusing on administering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
"The Moderna and Pfizer would continue to be in our hospital systems," she said. "Not necessarily because of the hospital system's request, but because the follow-up and the storage mechanisms make it a better environment to distribute."
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two doses and cold storage for full efficacy. The Johnson & Johson vaccine is single dose, and can be stored more easily.
Hendrickson said the local health departments already have a lot of experience with drive-thru vaccination clinics through the influenza vaccine.
The Peoria area hasn't received a J&J vaccine shipment yet. Most of the state's first shipment of the J&J vaccine went to the state's exisiting mass vaccination sites.
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