Kane Vax Hub offers Janssen COVID vaccine for hospital and school employees before Sept. 19 deadline
The Kane County Health Department has seen a 100% increase in Janssen (also known as J&J) COVID vaccination requests in the past two weeks, likely due to the State of Illinois's Sunday, Sept. 19 vaccination deadline for hospital and school employees to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.
The state requires all health care workers, including nursing home employees, all P-12 teachers and staff, as well as higher education personnel and students to receive an initial dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 19.
The Janssen vaccine is proving popular due to its single-dose requirement, rather than the two-dose requirement for Moderna and Pfizer.
The Janssen vaccine is in plentiful supply at the Kane County Health Department's VaxHub at 501 N. Randall Rd in Batavia. The KaneVax Hub will be open Saturday, September 18 from 9 a.m. to Noon to provide vaccinations. Vaccinations are available to all Illinois residents, regardless of county in which they live. Registrations are encouraged at KaneVax.org, but walk-ins are always welcome. All three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen) are available.
Regular hours for the Kane Vax Hub are Wednesdays from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
At the present time, the Pfizer vaccine is approved for all individuals aged 12 and older. The Moderna and Janssen vaccines are approved for individuals over the age of 18.
Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:
• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.
The Kane Vax Hub has third doses available of the Pfizer vaccine, Comiranty.
For more information about COVID-19, visit KaneHealth.com.