ALTON, Ill. — A COVID-19 mobile vaccination clinic was held in Alton, Illinois, Monday, and will repeat each of the next three Mondays at LaMay’s Catering in the Riverbend Billiards on Broadway.
The clinic is sponsored by the Madison County Dept. of Health and the Alton Ministerial Alliance. Illinois National Guard members helped with logistics.
Madison County Transit buses transported people from three Alton senior housing complexes to the event. Inside, as many as 350 people get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Madison County officials are planning appointment-only clinics at this same location for the next three weeks, as well as other dates and locations.
“We had some of our African-American leaders and church leaders from across the county that wanted to come together," Madison County Director of Community Health Amy Yeager said. "We were trying to reach some of our minority populations that were elderly or had transportation or access issues. They had the exact same interest.”
Alton Ministerial Alliance President Jason Harrison said ministerial alliance members preached about trust and transportation from every pulpit and every platform.
“We spread it about,” said Harrison. “We told the people. And we let them know it’s safe and necessary. So many people have died, we don’t need for another one to die when you have accessibility to this.”
Alton seniors 65 and up interested in registering for this event over the next three Mondays can do so on the telephone by calling one of these three phone numbers - 618-491-9340, 618-491-9920, 618-491-0021. The phone lines will be open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each week from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from Tues., March 2 to Wed., March 17.
Details on other Madison County mobile vaccination clinics can be found on the Madison County Health Department website.