MERCER COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
MERCER COUNTY, ILLINOIS
To promote and protect the health and welfare of the Mercer County, IL residents.
Mercer County, Illinois
(309) 582-3759
FAQ
I SIGNED UP FOR THE TEMPORARY EMAIL SERVICE, WHY HAVEN’T I RECEIVED ANY EMAILS?
Multiple emails have been sent out since the start of the email service. There are a couple of different reasons why you may not have received an email from us.
Make sure to check your spam, we have had some people report that their email was found there.
When we send out the emails, we get handfuls of immediate responses saying, “message cannot be delivered” due to an invalid email address. Make sure to enter in your email address exactly how it is. If there are no capital letters, do not put any in there, etc. Make sure to double check your spelling before you submit. If you think this may have been the problem for you, please go ahead and submit your email address again so we can put the correct email on the mailing list.
Emails are sent out whenever we have new information. There is no set day/time that they will be sent. Sometimes there might be one each day for a couple of days in a row, sometimes it may be a couple of weeks before the next one. It is possible that you have signed up after the last email was sent, and another one has just not been sent out yet. Please refer to our website: www.mchdil.com where we post any newsletters or notices (click COVID-19 Vaccine Newsletters in the blue strip at the top) that have been sent to see if any have gone out since you signed up. If that’s the case, try the earlier steps.
I HAVE BEEN CALLING ALL MORNING TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT BUT HAVE NOT GOTTEN THROUGH ONCE.
Please understand that hundreds of people calling at once will overwhelm the phone system. It will almost certainly take a while to get through, unfortunately. At this time, demand far outweighs the supply and this will be a long process for all of us. We appreciate folks understanding how very difficult it is to plan for this without any kind of allotment guarantees, while simultaneously balancing all the other COVID related work, and while the rules, recommendations, and guidelines continue to change and evolve on a daily basis. Please understand we are committed to this mission, but it will require patience and cooperation from us all.
HOW DOES THE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION WORK FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAD THEIR FIRST SHOT? WILL THEY JUST HAVE TO HOPE THEY GET THROUGH TO SCHEDULE THEIR 2ND DOSE OR WILL THOSE DOSES BE SET ASIDE?
2nd doses are being planned for separately and appointment times are available for them based on how many doses we dispensed 4 weeks prior. Those folks may call and schedule, letting the scheduler know it is for a 2nd dose.
CAN ROCK ISLAND COUNTY RESIDENTS COME TO MERCER COUNTY TO GET THEIR VACCINE?
This is for those residents who live and/or work in Mercer County as this is what our vaccine allocations are based on.
HOW LONG WILL THE APPOINTMENT TAKE?
A person will generally spend about 20-30 minutes with us.
WHY CAN’T I SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR MARCH YET?
Unfortunately, we are completely booked for February and have not created a schedule for taking appointments in March. When we begin taking more appointments, we will announce it on our Facebook, WRMJ radio, or you can sign up for email updates at www.mchdil.com. If the amount of vaccine we receive increases, we may take a different strategy to dispense it, so we can’t book more than a few weeks out.
If you are a 65 or older patient of Genesis Health Group in Aledo, you may be able to receive your vaccine there as well. You may call them for appointment information.
WHICH VACCINE ARE YOU GIVING OUT?
Currently, the MCHD is giving out the Moderna vaccine. For more information about the Moderna Vaccine, please follow this link: https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/download
CAN I SCHEDULE MY SECOND DOSE APPOINTMENT WHEN I RECEIVE THE FIRST DOSE?
Possibly not, especially if it falls outside of February. You may need to call sometime the week your second dose is due and schedule an appointment at that time. We can’t schedule ahead too far because we know we may have to change our dispensing strategy if we begin receiving a greater supply of vaccine. It is not ideal for anyone, but we hope to avoid having to change any appointments made too far in advance.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO BEFORE/OR BRING WITH ME TO MY APPOINTMENT?
Appointment checklist:
To save time, print off and fill out this form prior to arrival. If you are unable to do so, we do have copies available when you arrive.
Wear a short-sleeve shirt.
Make sure you have eaten the day of your appointment.
Bring your driver’s license or state-issued ID.