National guard administering 2,100 vaccines to help raise the rate in Kankakee County. | Stock Photo
National guard administering 2,100 vaccines to help raise the rate in Kankakee County. | Stock Photo
Kankakee County recently received 2,100 extra doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to raise vaccination rates, which lagged behind the state's average numbers.
Kankakee County Health Department administrator John Bevis recently noticed that the county's vaccination numbers were falling behind the state's average percentage and asked the state for additional resources, the Daily Journal reported.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Kankakee County's vaccination numbers were among the lowest in the state, with approximately 12.22% of residents vaccinated as of April 2.
"While we are getting out the vaccine into arms as quickly as we get it, we were still falling behind," Bevis said, the Daily Journal reported.
Public response was high, and as of last Thursday, all remaining vaccination appointment times were booked. Two Illinois National Guard vaccination teams began administering doses of the vaccine early this week at temporary sites.
The 2,100 doses used by the National Guard are separate from the county's regular weekly allotment of vaccines.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a one dosage vaccine which means that recipients will not have to attend a second vaccination appointment which will allow National Guard vaccination teams to continue to reach other Illinois areas with low vaccination rates.
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