Sign up for COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Aurora VA Feb. 13

The Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission is alerting Kane County veterans to a one-time shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine that will be available on Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Aurora VA outpatient clinic, 161 S. Lincolnway in North Aurora. It will be 8 a.m. to 4 :30 p.m.

"This is a special, one-time shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine," said Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Jacob Zimmerman. "To register to receive this vaccine, you must be a Hines VA-enrolled veteran age 65 or older and call the Aurora VA Clinic directly to schedule the vaccination."

The Aurora VA Clinic phone number is (630) 859-2504.

Christopher Wirtjes, Chief of Patient Administration Service at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, said the Moderna vaccine is easier to transport, so Hines VA will use the one-time shipment to reach areas that have not had a vaccination clinic for veterans.

Availability will be limited, so veterans are advised to act quickly.

"Please be patient, as our phone lines will likely be a bit overwhelmed," Wirtjes said. "Also, at this time, this is the only planned CBOC vaccination clinic scheduled (in this area), so we do not have any flexibility to change dates. Veterans who receive a vaccination on Feb. 13 will be invited to take a second dose on March 13."

Other VA vaccination clinics will be held at Community Based Outpatient Clinics on Sunday in Kankakee and Monday in LaSalle.

Zimmerman thanked the Hines VA organization and said the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission is ready to help in any way to connect veterans to government services.

"Hines VA Hospital has done an extraordinary job in vaccinating over 10,000 people so far," he said. "In fact, the VA as a whole has vaccinated more people than 42 states. I encourage anyone who is enrolled through Hines to get their vaccine scheduled as quickly as possible."

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