In an effort to vaccinate underserved communities in the area, Carle Health and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District partnered to host a walk-in vaccine clinic on Saturday at the Church of the Living God.

The church clinic — located at 312 E. Bradley Ave. in Champaign — was open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

“We’ve been partnering with Church of the Living God to address health care needs and disparities for some time and bringing vaccination opportunities directly to those who need it most is a natural extension of our reach,” said Jonathan Woods, Carle’s executive director of Community Health Initiatives.

Another 1,217 people in Champaign County received their first dose of the vaccine on Friday, while another 905 received their second dose. 

By Saturday’s count, 21.9% of the county population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 26.6% of the vaccine-eligible population.

Almost 7.5% of the population has received both doses of a vaccine. Champaign County’s full vaccination rate is third in the state, behind Adams and Springfield counties percentages of 14.47% and 7.67%.  

The county briefly expanded eligibility to residents 16 and older with underlying health conditions, and appointments filled quickly.

Residents or workers in Champaign County who are 65 and above, or 40-64 years old with certain underlying health conditions, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, heart conditions, diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, pulmonary disease, sickle cell or any disability, are eligible for the vaccine.

Workers in the following industries are also eligible for vaccination:

• Healthcare workers who are at risk of COVID-19 exposure or work with infected individuals/materials
• Caretakers of a disabled person
• Staff at licensed daycare workers State of Illinois approved early childhood and licensed daycares and K-12 (public, private and parochial) schools.
• Corrections officers and inmates
• Education
• Shelters/Adult daycare
• Public transit
• Postal service
• Grocery stores
• Food and agriculture
• Manufacturing

Church of the Living God is a large space located near lower-income spaces in C-U.

“We’re working hard to remove barriers to accessing the vaccine for our community members,” Wood said.

Almost 70% of the 65 and above population in Champaign has received a dose of a vaccine. 

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