Health Department Taking Signups from Those 65+ for COVID Vaccine

The Effingham County Health Department Thursday announced two new positive test results for COVID-19.

Those who tested positive were a male in his 20s and a female in her 60s.

On January 27, the Health Department started a COVID Vaccine Waitlist for residents over the age of 65. In the first day alone, 1,600 calls were received. The Health Department has spent the last two weeks listening to those messages and making appointments for those eligible. Over the last two weeks, nearly 1,700 appointments have been made from that waitlist. If anyone over the age of 65 wants the COVID vaccine and has not signed up for the waiting list, now is the time before other groups from 1B are added to the clinics.

Illinois Region 6 test positivity seven-day rolling average was 3.6% through February 8, and Effingham County came in at 2.2% for the same period.

For more information on Coronavirus, visit www.dph.illinois.gov/COVID-19 or www.effcohealth.org.