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Fulton County Receives First COVID-19 Vaccine Shipment

The Pfizer vaccine seen at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in December.
Tim Shelley / Peoria Public Radio
The Pfizer vaccine seen at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in December.

The Fulton County Health Department is busy distributing its first 200 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine after a shipment arrived earlier this week.

The health department said 85 doses were administered this week after the first vaccines arrived on Monday.

“The Health Department is bringing in every resource we can to help in this fight and we’ve also brought in some of our community partners to help expedite the vaccine distribution,” Katie Lynn, administrator of the Fulton County Health Department, said in a press release.

Lynn said the county reported 869 cases, 17 deaths, and a 6.9% positivity rate in December. Half of the county's total reported deaths, and a third of its total reported cases, happened last month alone.

"The Fulton County COVID-19 Task Force has been working diligently to stay on top of quickly evolving circumstances surrounding the rollout of the vaccine," Canton Mayor Kent McDowell said in a news release. "The members of the task force have done a great job of communicating and working together to make sure that the dispersal of the vaccine takes place with a minimum of hang-ups or snags.

"We will continue to work together as this process continues in an effort to keep our citizens safe and to get them the vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible."

Graham Hospital in Canton has recieved its own batch of vaccines for health care professionals.

The health department is expecting a vaccine shipment once a week during the 1A vaccination phase that includes health care workers and long-term care facility residents.

We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WCBU will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WCBU can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.

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Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.