Dear Lake County Resident,
This was a big week for vaccine announcements – expanded eligibility, new vaccination sites, and an important vaccine update.
On Tuesday, the Lake County Health Department paused the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and as required by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). This was done out of an abundance of caution due to six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States. Here’s what you need to know:
- These adverse events are extremely rare - six cases out of more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered in the United States (less than one in a million).
- All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
- There are no cases reported in Lake County.
- Lake County providers are only using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for appointments currently.
- A key reason for the pause is to ensure that doctors know what to look for and to use the correct treatment for this type of blood clot.
We understand this may cause you concern. Please know that vaccine safety is a top priority and Lake County will only resume using Johnson & Johnson vaccine when it is recommended. Fortunately, the pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not have a significant impact on current vaccinations in Lake County as almost all of our vaccine supply is Pfizer and Moderna.
To learn more about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause, please visit the CDC’s website.
- As of April 16, over 392,100 vaccine doses have been administered to Lake County residents and 156,438 residents (22.32% of the population) have been fully vaccinated. Over 75% of Lake County seniors age 65 and older and 34% of those age 16-64 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The county is averaging 6,981 doses administered per day on a 7-day rolling average, a 6.8% increase from last week.
- As of April 12, all Illinoisans age 16 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine. Demand for vaccine continues to be much higher than our supply, and it will take time for everyone to have an appointment available to them.
- A new vaccination site in Round Lake Beach will open April 20, located at 400 E. Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach. The site is sponsored by Baxter and operated by Curative. AllVax registrants who have opted-in to share their registration information may be contacted to schedule appointments, and public scheduling is available at tv/lakeco. When vaccine supply allows the facility to reach its peak capacity of 5,000 vaccinations per day, this will be the largest vaccination site in the county.
- Additional partnering vaccination sites in Lake County are now in operation in Round Lake, Grayslake, and Deerfield. A new site in Zion will open at the end of this month. Learn more.
- The Lake County Fairgrounds has transitioned to offer exclusively walk-through appointments. The Regional Vaccination Site at 102 W. Water Street, Waukegan, offers both drive-through and walk-through appointments. Both sites are by appointment through AllVax.
New Vaccination Site in Round Lake Beach
On April 20, 2021, the Lake County Health Department and partners Baxter and Curative will open a new COVID-19 vaccination site located at 400 E. Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach (the former K-Mart Supercenter). Vaccinations will take place indoors and by appointment only. Appointments are open to all that live or work in Lake County. Residents may schedule appointments at tv/lakeco. Appointments are offered Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
People who are registered on the AllVax portal and opted in to share their registration information with vaccination partners may also be contacted by Curative to schedule an appointment at the Round Lake Beach site. Any questions about the Round Lake Beach vaccination site can be emailed to support@curative.com.
Read the full press release for more information.
Additional Lake County Vaccination Sites
Over the past several months, the Lake County Health Department has been working with community partners to plan and open additional vaccination sites throughout the county. There is no cost to get your vaccination. Some sites may bill health insurance, but health insurance is not required. Registration varies by site, please see full details for each site in the press release. Please note, all vaccination sites continue to be by appointment only. Please do not contact individual sites for appointments. Current vaccination sites are listed below.
The following sites will schedule their appointments through AllVax:
Regional Vaccination Site
102 W. Water Street, Waukegan
Lake County Fairgrounds
1060 E Peterson Road, Grayslake
The following site will schedule appointments through Doctors Test Center (DTC) website*:
Patty Turner Center
375 Elm Street, Deerfield
Please do not contact the Patty Turner Center for appointments.
*AllVax registrants will be offered appointments
through email and text message invitations.
The following sites are scheduling through local outreach and may contact AllVax registrants if they are eligible:
Catholic Charities
116 Lincoln Avenue, Round Lake
Please do not contact Catholic Charities for appointments.
Christ Church of Grayslake
1350 IL-137, Grayslake
Please do not contact Christ Church Grayslake for appointments.
Full details about each site can be found in our April 12 press release.
As of April 13, the Lake County Health Department is pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine. This pause illustrates the value of public health vaccine monitoring. We encourage those with concerns to reach out to their healthcare provider for guidance. We expect to know more about the situation soon and will keep our community informed.
The Lake County Health Department is not cancelling current COVID-19 vaccine appointments that were scheduled to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Instead, Lake County providers have been notified to use the supply of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines that are available.
Please read the full joint statement from the CDC and FDA and take a look at the FAQ below for more information about the pause.
Johnson & Johnson FAQ
Q: I got J&J recently, do I need to worry?
A: We understand that this news may cause concern. Millions of people have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with no serious side effects. Serious reactions are extremely rare. The CDC says that if you got the vaccine several weeks ago, the risk of a reaction is very low. People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Patients with other clinical questions should contact their health care provider.
Q: How likely is it that someone would have an adverse reaction to J&J?
A: Adverse reactions to the vaccine are extremely rare. There were six reports of a rare blood clotting disorder out of 6.8 million doses given in the United States using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
During the week of April 26 – May 2, we will be celebrating our volunteers and staff who have been working so hard to support vaccination efforts. We are asking for your help to thank them! Over the next few weeks, we encourage our Lake County community to send in thank-you notes via email to covid19@lakecountyil.gov, or through our social media channels, Facebook and Instagram. Handwritten notes can be mailed to:
Rebecca Kumar
Lake County Emergency Management Agency
1303 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Libertyville, IL, 60048
Thank you for helping us celebrate our volunteers. We look forward to featuring and presenting all the kind words to our volunteers during Volunteer Appreciation Week.
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 Lake County will hold a Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. hosted by Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart. Please register online in order to attend. The panelists will discuss the most current information about the COVID-19 vaccine, Lake County's new Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and more while answering questions from the community. Panelists include:
- Mark Pfister, Executive Director, Lake County Health Department
- Paul Frank, Chair, Lake County Financial & Administrative Committee
- Other Lake County staff and community partners
This virtual meeting will be hosted through Zoom and simulcast in Spanish. Attendees can view and listen to the meeting through their computer, tablet, or phone. Information on how to access the meeting will be sent to the email address provided upon registration.
If you would like to take part in this event, be sure to register. Lake County will publish a recording of the virtual town hall for those who are unable to attend on April 21.
 Current COVID-19 cases continue to rise in our community. According to our prevalence map (found on our Lake County Data Hub), a majority of Lake County communities have seen a significant rise in cases over the past 14 days. The rise in COVID-19 cases is not unique to our area, but occurring all over the United States. We continue to urge our community to follow mitigation measures including:
- Wearing a mask
- Washing your hands
- Watching your distance
- Getting a COVID-19 vaccine
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 will help to slow the spread. If the vaccine you receive is a two dose vaccine, it is important to get both doses. Two dose vaccines require both doses in order to be effective.
To look at more local data, check out the Lake County COVID-19 Data Hub. Country-wide data can be found on the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker.
As Illinois opens up eligibility to all those age 16 and older, we want to remind everyone that even though you are now eligible, that does not mean there will be an appointment available right away. We encourage everyone to register in AllVax, if you have not already. Once there is vaccine supply and an appointment time is open for you, you will receive an email stating that you can now schedule.
The current demand for vaccinations continues to outpace the supply of the COVID-19 vaccines. While we are making progress each week, this mass vaccination effort will take time. Vaccine supply continues to increase and with that more appointments will open up.
In the meantime, while we wait for the vaccine, we still have the power to protect ourselves and our families from COVID-19. Consistently follow the 3 Ws – Wear a mask, Wash your hands, and Watch your distance – to keep yourself and those you love safe.
During the week of April 5-11, we focused on ensuring all Lake County seniors have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. We called on community members to reach out to the seniors in their life to offer support if they need it. Seniors can face unique challenges, such as transportation and technology barriers, that can make accessing the COVID-19 vaccine difficult. While Seniors Week has ended, it is never too late to help your loved ones get vaccinated and stay safe. Check out the below resources from Seniors Week for resources and ideas:
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If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has it, getting tested can help you know what steps to take to keep your loved ones safe.
Where can I get tested?
State-run Community-Based Testing Sites located in Waukegan (102 W. Water St.), Arlington Heights (2000 W Euclid Ave.), and Rockford (1601 Parkview Ave.) are open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Testing is free and open to all regardless of symptoms. These sites have drive-through testing, as well as walk-up testing for those who do not have a vehicle or need to use public transportation. Please note, you are not permitted to exit your car to use the walk-up line once you arrive.
Know Before You Go
A phone number and name are required in order to receive testing results. Photo identification and proof of insurance are helpful, but not required. High demand for testing may result in long wait times. Testing locations may close early due to inclement weather or if daily testing supplies are exhausted. Additional COVID-19 testing locations and information can be found at the IDPH website.
As of April 16, 2021, 58,363 Lake County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, including 960 deaths.
Our Coronavirus Data Hub provides data and resources for our county, including cases and deaths, tests performed, demographic data, and an interactive map and charts.
View the Lake County, IL Coronavirus Data Hub
Do you have questions? The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has established a COVID-19 hotline and email address to answer questions from the public:
For additional information from the IDPH, visit: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus
Lake County AllVax Portal Resources
Visit our AllVax Frequently Asked Questions page to find answers and information about the COVID-19 vaccine in Lake County. Encourage members of the community to register in AllVax utilizing resources from the AllVax Portal Toolkit, including social media messages, guides, print materials, and more.
Community Guidance and Resources
Protect yourself and your community. Our Community Guidance and Resources page has information to help residents stay safe and informed. Specific group information can be found for:
- Businesses and employers
- Communities and faith-based organizations
- First responders and law enforcement
- Healthcare providers and hospitals
- Schools and childcare programs
- Travelers
Communication Resources
We need your help to keep our communities healthy and safe. The Lake County Health Department, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer free communication resources including fact sheets, flyers, posters, and videos.
Join the Medical Reserve Corps
The Lake County Health Department is in need of volunteers with a valid medical license to fill roles as vaccinators, vaccine mixers, and wellness check observers at our mass vaccination sites. Visit our Lake County Medical Reserve Corps page to learn more.
Become a Community Health Ambassador
Community Health Ambassadors play a key role in helping our community members get vaccinated by sharing resources, answering FAQs, and encouraging community members to register on AllVax. Visit the Community Health Ambassador page for more information and to register.
Additional Ways to Help
Visit Lake County Health Departments How You Can Help page to find additional opportunities to donate or volunteer.
Forwarded this email? Sign up to receive COVID-19 updates directly from the Lake County Health Department.
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