Vaccine Rollout for 1B Essential Workers - Steps to Follow
IFCA has been in contact with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) regarding the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to ag essential workers. Ag essential workers are in Phase 1B of the state's plan. IEMA informed IFCA that Phase 1B for essential workers will begin on January 25th.
Based on our conversations with IEMA, IFCA recommends you take these steps:
1. Companies should start putting a list together of all employees that wish to receive the vaccine. Companies should prioritize their lists by risk level; 65+ or individuals that have underlying health conditions should be at the top of these lists.
2. We have had many members inquire if the vaccine will be given in the county in which an employee lives or where they are employed. IEMA informed us that it will be the county in which the employee is employed that they should receive their vaccine.
3. With that being said, IFCA recommends that each company have a point person to gather this information (employee names and which county they are employed in) and prioritize them. After this list is put together, the point person should reach out to the corresponding local county public health department and inform them that their employees are Phase 1B essential workers.
4. Please note, the rollout does not start until January 25, but you can start calling your county health department prior to the 25th to schedule vaccination appointments – we recommend you do this. Here is a link to all the county health departments and contact information: http://dph.illinois.gov/contact-us/idph-regional-health-departments
5. In an effort to work collaboratively with the State, IFCA encourages a representative from each company to also complete the survey from the Business Emergency Operations Center. This survey will assist the state in determining how to allocate and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. This survey can be found at: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nwgia7qOPEaE9TFxIQ-QBZbI6yeVItZCtJ_6NUbj0pBUQ0dBOFlEQUZLNFRENzhWTU9BRzZCUjVVRC4u
The COVID-19 vaccination process is continuously evolving. IFCA will continue to keep members informed on the latest information as it is provided. If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to KJ Johnson at kj@ifca.com or 217-369-1669.
5. In an effort to work collaboratively with the State, IFCA encourages a representative from each company to also complete the survey from the Business Emergency Operations Center. This survey will assist the state in determining how to allocate and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. This survey can be found at: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nwgia7qOPEaE9TFxIQ-QBZbI6yeVItZCtJ_6NUbj0pBUQ0dBOFlEQUZLNFRENzhWTU9BRzZCUjVVRC4u
The COVID-19 vaccination process is continuously evolving. IFCA will continue to keep members informed on the latest information as it is provided. If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to KJ Johnson at kj@ifca.com or 217-369-1669.