PEORIA, Ill. — While Tier 1B COVID-19 vaccinations include frontline essential workers and individuals 65 years and older, 1C vaccinations are a much broader category that includes a wide range of professions.
Based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendations, 1C includes individuals between the ages of 16 and 64 who have conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 and additional essential workers.
Essential workers may include individuals working in transportation, food service, housing, media, legal and public health workers, among others.
Tier 1C is still in draft form, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website.
Two weeks ago, during the weekly Peoria City/County Health Department COVID briefing, Public Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson projected Tier 1C vaccinations would begin around March or April.
Following the Biden administration’s purchase of 200 million additional vaccines on Tuesday, Hendrickson said Thursday it is still too early to tell if 1C vaccinations will move up in the projected timeline.
“Our ability to vaccinate is there, the capacity is there, it’s just the volume of vaccine,” said Hendrickson.
Although the timeline is still indefinite, Hendrickson emphasized Peoria has the skillset and capacity to distribute additional vaccines as quickly as possible.
“In Peoria County, we’ve actually been planning for a vaccine clinic since March of last year,” said Hendrickson. “We have an ongoing list of entities by employment that meet this criteria.”
When it is time for a business’ employees who qualify under 1C to get vaccinated, the Health Department will reach out to a staff’s primary point of contact, whether that be a general manager or human resources representative, said Hendrickson.
Hendrickson also said depending on the volume of staff at a business or of the volume of a patient and client base, the Health Department could travel to specific sites and vaccinate individuals on-site.
