UPDATE: We had a limited number of first dose vaccine appointments for this week that are now FULL. Please be patient as you may need to wait to access your first dose. Please check this site frequently and follow our social media pages for information on who is currently eligible for vaccination and when we will be scheduling first dose appointments again. Additional First Dose Vaccine Appointments Open for qualifying 1A/1B Individuals
2nd Dose Appointments for those Vaccinated at IHotel. This week's allocation is mainly 2nd doses for previously vaccinated 1A/1B individuals. We expect to have more first doses allocations next week and the week after.
We are not currently setting up first dose clinics. Please keep an eye on our website and social media pages for information about when additional vaccines become available
We are not currently keeping a wait list. Stay tuned to our social media and website for future clinic dates. Please refrain from calling your healthcare providers to ask about a wait list.
There is still a limited supply of vaccine, but supply will continue to increase throughout 2021. The COVID-19 vaccine will not be widely available until later in 2021. Supplies are currently being given to specific high-risk groups. Eventually everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one.
When vaccine is widely available, healthcare clinics, pharmacies, and drive-through and walk-through clinics will likely provide vaccinations.COVID vaccine will be covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance, and the cost of the vaccine will be covered for people who are uninsured.Vaccine safety is a priority. All COVID-19 vaccines must go through a rigorous and multi-step testing and approval process before they can be used. They will only be approved if they pass safety and effectiveness standards. Vaccines will also be monitored for safety once they are given.Only licensed and trained health professionals can give vaccinations.A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is a critical component of the U.S. strategy to reduce COVID-19-related illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. For more info, see IDPH's COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs.
Second Dose
You should receive your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from the same entity that provided the first dose.
If you attended a clinic hosted by CUPHD for your first dose, you will receive a vaccination card that has a second date that is a reminder of the earliest you will be eligible for a 2nd dose. Please note that the second dose of Moderna Vaccine should be at least 28 days after your first dose and the second dose of Pfizer Vaccine should be at least 21 days after the first, but there is no maximum interval between both doses. While second doses administered within a grace period of 4 days earlier than the recommended date for the second dose are still considered valid, you should not schedule an appointment until ON or AFTER the date that is stamped in red on your vaccination card, if possible.
If you booked and appointment through Sign Up Genius for your first dose and had a valid email address on file, we will contact you via email to book an appointment for your second dose. If you do not have an email address, we will call you to book an appointment.
If you are overdue for your 2nd dose and have not heard from CUPHD to schedule an appointment, please call 217-239-7877 or email coronavirus@c-uphd.org.
FACT: COVID-19 vaccines will not give you COVID-19
None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States use the live virus that causes COVID-19. There are several different types of vaccines in development. However, the goal for each of them is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
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FACT: COVID-19 vaccines will not cause you to test positive on COVID-19 viral tests
Vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States won’t cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection.
If your body develops an immune response, which is the goal of vaccination, there is a possibility you may test positive on some antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate you had a previous infection and that you may have some level of protection against the virus. Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccination may affect antibody testing results.
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FACT: People who have gotten sick with COVID-19 may still benefit from getting vaccinated
Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before.
At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long.
We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have a vaccine and more data on how well it works.
Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.
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FACT: Getting vaccinated can help prevent getting sick with COVID-19
While many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe illness or they may even die. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you are not at increased risk of severe complications. If you get sick, you also may spread the disease to friends, family, and others around you while you are sick. COVID-19 vaccination helps protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.
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FACT: Receiving an mRNA vaccine will not alter your DNA
mRNA stands for messenger ribonucleic acid and can most easily be described as instructions for how to make a protein or even just a piece of a protein. mRNA is not able to alter or modify a person’s genetic makeup (DNA). The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enter the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA are kept. This means the mRNA does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop protection (immunity) to disease. Learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work.
The safety of COVID-19 vaccines is a top priority.
The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Learn how federal partners are working together to ensure the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
Two vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) are already on the market, but others are still being developed.
CDC is working with partners at all levels, including healthcare associations, on flexible COVID-19 vaccination programs that can accommodate different vaccines and scenarios. CDC has been in contact with your state public health department to help with your state’s planning. State, tribal, local, and territorial health departments are critical to making sure vaccines are available to communities.
At least at first, COVID-19 vaccines might be used under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
There is still a limited supply of vaccine, but supply will continue to increase throughout 2021.
The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as large quantities are available. The plan is to have several thousand vaccination providers available, including doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers.
If there is limited supply, some groups may be recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine first.
Experts are working on how to distribute these limited vaccines in a fair, ethical, and transparent way.
At first, COVID-19 vaccines may not be recommended for children.
In early clinical trials for various COVID-19 vaccines, only non-pregnant adults participated. However, clinical trials continue to expand those recruited to participate. The groups recommended to receive the vaccines could change in the future.
Cost will not be an obstacle to getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccine providers will be able to charge administration fees for giving or administering the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
COVID-19 vaccine planning is being updated as new information becomes available.
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 Vaccines
An Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is a mechanism to facilitate the availability and use of medical countermeasures, including vaccines, during public health emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
FDA is globally respected for its scientific standards of vaccine safety, effectiveness and quality. The agency provides scientific and regulatory advice to vaccine developers and undertakes a rigorous evaluation of the scientific information through all phases of clinical trials, which continues after a vaccine has been approved by FDA or authorized for emergency use.
FDA recognizes the gravity of the current public health emergency and the importance of facilitating availability, as soon as possible, of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 - vaccines that the public will trust and have confidence in receiving.
