McHenry County health officials start in-home COVID-19 vaccinations for residents with limited mobility

Jake Marcus, a 29-year-old Crystal Lake resident with a rare genetic condition called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, was given a tight hug from behind by his dad to help him hold still Tuesday morning in their kitchen as McHenry County Department of Health staff administered a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The inoculation will allow the Marcus family to hold an Independence Day celebration next month with a group of relatives, said Jake's dad, Rob Marcus, a gathering they had to forego last year as the coronavirus was on the loose with no vaccine widely available.

"We didn't want anybody near this house," Rob Marcus said.

His son was the last member of the family to get vaccinated, and he was able to do so at home. The McHenry County Department of Health staff began this week traveling to the homes of seniors and others with limited mobility who would have difficulty making their way to a clinic for shots.

Both Rob Marcus and his wife, Carol, were relieved they were able to get their son vaccinated at home, as it can be tough to keep him calm in medical facility settings or around large groups of people.

"This is good for him," Rob Marcus said as Jake, who does not speak, reached up to greet the health department staffers who gave him his shot by tapping their shoulders and inspecting their name tags and necklaces.

He said the CdLS Foundation, which provides services to people impacted by his son's syndrome, had told them the condition does not put people with it at higher risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19, but the Marcus family still was glad to further cut the chances of Jake getting a bad case of the virus.

The McHenry County health department had 10 people on the list for in-home vaccinations at nine different dwellings to be completed Tuesday, spokeswoman Lindsey Salvatelli said.

The department is giving the Johnson & Johnson shot to people needing their vaccines at home because it requires just one dose to be fully effective, whereas the other vaccines approved for use in the U.S. made by Pfizer and Moderna take two doses given several weeks apart to reach peak efficacy against the virus.

The health department will try to work out other ways to get someone vaccinated before resorting to having staff travel to a home for a residential shot, Salvatelli said.

That includes helping to provide transportation to a vaccine clinic or once a patient is in the parking lot of a clinic, having the department staff come outside to administer the shot while the patient remains in the car.

"If you are truly homebound, we'll probably have to give you the Johnson & Johnson," Salvatelli said.

Those not wishing to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can ask to receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine instead, requests that are reviewed on a case-by-case, the McHenry County health department has said.

Just more than 40% of McHenry County residents have been fully vaccinated, meaning they've received all the doses recommended for the vaccine they've been given, according to state data.

Kenneth Deiml, an 89-year-old Cary resident who needs assistance to move about, and his wife, Bernadine, also were given shots at home Tuesday.

"I appreciate you folks coming," Kenneth Deiml said to the health department team, adding he felt "nothing yet" in terms of pain several minutes after getting his dose in the right arm while he read his newspaper in his den.

Some area residents have been frustrated with being unable to get themselves or their families vaccinated if they were homebound, the Northwest Herald reported in early March.

Federal public health guidance to temporarily stop use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this year pushed back the McHenry County health department's start of in-home vaccinations, officials said. The suspension of that vaccine was lifted in late April.

"The pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson delayed this plan. Once the Johnson & Johnson pause was removed, we implemented our plan," the department's public health nursing director, Susan Karras, said in an email.

The McHenry County health department provided vaccine doses to Huntley Fire Protection District, which had Lt. Kelly Gitzke begin administering them to people in their homes last week, and plans are underway for more first responders and fire agencies to begin assisting with the residential vaccination campaign for homebound people.

"We are working with other fire departments in the county who've agreed and have the means to provide this service," Salvatelli said. She was unable to provide a list of participating fire departments as of Tuesday.

So far, 81 individuals needing vaccination in the home have been identified through community agencies or have called the department's call center at (815) 334-4045.

"The process for vaccinating in the home will take some time as each home requires registration, education, administration and the 15-minute observation (after each shot). Our plan is to have this population completed by the end of June," Karras said, adding in-home vaccinations would take place between two and three days a week.

Betty Haseman, an 85-year-old resident of unincorporated McHenry County northeast of Crystal Lake, was among the first to get vaccinated at home by the health department Tuesday. She exclaimed, "Ow!" as the needle was inserted into her arm muscle, but was in good spirits right afterward, saying she was ready for a coffee and that a caffeinated beverage is "better than liquor."

Her son, Chris Haseman, was also glad she was able to get her shot without leaving home.

"It's definitely a convenience. It's hard to get Betty in and out of a car. It's hard for her to walk. And she loves the company," Chris Haseman said.