PEORIA, Ill. — Area health officials continually emphasized patience regarding COVID-19 vaccinations during the Peoria City/County Health Department’s weekly COVID-19 news conference on Thursday.
“The keys for vaccination at UnityPoint Health is number one, we are going to call you,” said Dr. Samer Sader, Chief Medical Officer at UnityPoint Health. “Wait for our phone call when we call you.
“If you miss it, just call us back. We will get you on the line to get vaccinated. The supply of vaccine is short, so don’t come if we don’t call you. It’s not an open window or a walk-in clinic.”
OSF Chief Nursing Officer for Multispecialty Services Sarah Overton shared similar sentiments as Dr. Sader.
“Don’t call us, we’ll call you,” said Overton.
Overton also outlined the system OSF has created to ensure an organized vaccination process.
“We’ve built a very automated system through our OSF MyChart application, which allows the patient to self-schedule,” said Overton. “They answer a series of questionnaires to ensure they are the right candidate for the vaccine and then they present to the clinic.”
Heartland Health Services CEO Sharon Adams was the last guest to speak, but her message was the same as the previous speakers.
“We know who you are, so please don’t reach out to us,” said Adams. “We are already contacting our patients 65 and older.”
According to Dr. Sader, over 2,000 Tier 1B vaccinations at UnityPoint Health have been administered.
OSF has administered over 1,000 vaccines at its Peoria location and over 400 vaccines at its Tazewell location, said Overton.
Vaccinations at Heartland Health Services will begin next week, said Adams.
