Kane County moving developmentally disabled residents, caregivers to top priority for vaccine

Developmentally disabled Kane County residents and their caregivers will move into the top priority category and start receiving COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next week.

County health officials told county board members Tuesday the change comes as the result of discussions at the state level that resulted in new guidance over the weekend. Community Health Director Michael Isaacson said he is working with VNA Healthcare, the Association for Individual Development and The Arc of Illinois to quantify the number of new people who will now be placed in the front line group of those awaiting vaccinations.

Isaacson said he is aware some people in that group will require home visits in the same way some members of the local senior citizen population may need an option other than a public clinic to get vaccinated. Likewise, county health department staff are working with local libraries, townships and senior care providers to help local seniors and others who may have limited access or understanding of computer technology to get registered through the county health department's website for information and vaccine appointments.

"We hear from a lot of adult children whose parents live in Kane County, and they say my parents are never going to figure out how to make an appointment," Isaacson said. "So we are partnering with local organizations so they can go someplace where there's trusted people who can help them."

Isaacson also said he's hearing from plenty of other groups who may be at higher risk of catching or spreading the virus, like college faculty and staff, wondering why they are not anywhere on the current priority lists.

"This is based on science, based on risk level, but at the end of the day the recommendations that come to us - somebody is making a determination," Isaacson said. "I expect the categories will continue to change and evolve. But a list had to be made somewhere. So I encourage people to advocate to the state for their own groups."

All versions of the vaccine continue to be in short supply. Isaacson encouraged people to keep signing up wherever they have an opportunity to get a vaccine to ensure they can get the shots as soon as they are available to them. That includes signing up with the county, their personal doctor and watching for clinics at local pharmacies once the state begins shipping the vaccine directly to those non-county outlets.