While COVID-19 continues to make headlines everyday, the regular flu season is quickly approaching. This is making public health departments across the country more urgent in their approach to both viruses.
Normally, the Vermilion County Health Department would start vaccination campaigns in October. But Administrator Doug Toole says the department might start a bit earlier.
“Traditionally, October has been flu vaccination month for us,” Toole told WDAN’s Linda Bolton Monday morning. “We’re going to see if we can’t get some clinics going the last couple weeks of September. We have a vaccine for flu. Get your flu shot.”
Schools across the county are about three weeks away from returning to the classroom, but with cases on the rise across the state, nothing is certain as of yet. Crete-Monee, Decatur and Georgetown-Ridge Farm are three school districts in Illinois that are starting the year online-only.
Melissa Rome, emergency planning and response coordinator for the health department, says resource use could pose a problem.
“Definitely a little daunting, and when you think about the resources and how we had to scramble at the beginning of this, it is worrisome,” she said. “And then we do have to think about the flu coming up.”
Tome says Vermilion County had 142 coronavirus cases total over the past two months, and it has had an increase in positive cases over the last week. However, the county is not currently on the state’s warning list.
