Looking back on the year 2021, it was another pandemic dominated year for the Vermilion County Health Department. But as Public Health Administrator Douglas Toole recalls, he was glad to have some very important help.
While 2020 was the year the COVID pandemic first hit, 2021 was the year of the vaccine rollout. And Douglas Toole says when he looks back, he’ll always remember the help, and the positive attitude when the National Guard was here last spring. In Toole’s own words, Vermilion County hit the jackpot with that special group of people.
AUDIO: In mid-March, they showed up. We had dozens of Illinois National Guard members here, and over a dozen contract nurses from all over the country. Over the next three months from mid-March to mid-June they started a clinic at DACC, and their last clinic was a Danville Dans game. They did over 100 clinics and vaccinated over 9,600 people. We had them for three months, staying at a hotel out on Eastgate. They were part of our community, eating meals here, hanging out here, taking their days off here. Three months is a long time to be away from family. It can really take a toll. We never saw any of that.
Looking ahead to 2022, Toole knows that one of the biggest challenges could be right at the very beginning, when we are just coming out of the holiday season, and the Omicron variant will likely continue to spread.
AUDIO: What affect we think that’s going to have, and it’s hard to think about that and not just have all the blood go out of my face. It has the potential to be really bad and difficult for us to keep up on. I hope that the community stays safe over the holiday season.
Toole says the WIC clinic at the Health Department deserves special mention because many are struggling with food insecurity and nutrition. WIC serves pregnant women and children up to age five.
