Illinois

COVID-19 Vaccinations Progressing ‘Smoothly’ For Tri-County First Responders

WCBU | By Joe Deacon

Published January 11, 2021 at 10:42 AM CST

Peoria Fire Department Battalion Chief for EMS Roland Tenley says more than 70 of the departments firefighters have received their first dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Many Tri-County area public safety personnel are among the first wave of people getting their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Phase 1 priority groups in the Restore Illinois coronavirus vaccine distribution plan include frontline health care workers with EMT licenses. Peoria Fire Department Battalion Chief for EMS Roland Tenley said all of the department’s 165 firefighters and paramedics qualify in phase 1A.

“We’ve gotten through our first batch of firefighters and paramedics that were interested in the vaccine, and this week we're actually going through our second dosages that became available,” said Tenley. “We had just short of 57% of our staff request the COVID vaccine, and 77% of those have received it so far.”

Entering its third week of vaccinations, the Tazewell County Health Department is working through nine 1A sub-groups, including EMT’s. Health department spokesperson Sara Sparkman said things are running fairly smoothly there as well.

“It is a large endeavor for public health all over the country, but we feel like in Tazewell County we’re working and making changes as we need to,” said Sparkman. “We are fully staffed and working to get as many people vaccinated as possible as quickly as possible.”

Sparkman said the state’s phasing system is fluid things change quickly, but remaining first responders are expected to be in the next wave.

“Firefighters, law enforcement, other EMS workers who don't have an EMT license are in 1B,” she said. “So just like 1A had the subgroups, we're assuming that 1B will also have subgroups, and we will move through the subgroups in order as we have been with the guidance from the IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health).”

Sparkman said they do not yet have a timetable for moving into the 1B phase. Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker's office announced 1B vaccinations will begin when 1A is “substantially complete.”

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