PEORIA, Ill. — Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) was in Peoria today to tour the Heddington Oaks COVID-19 vaccination facility.
Bustos said she was impressed with the facility, saying it ran like “clockwork.”
However, Bustos also acknowledged that more work has to be done on a federal level to make sure as many vaccinations can go out as possible.
“We soon will have the next COVID relief package that will have more funding to make sure everybody will have more doses,” said Bustos. “I’m confident that when we deliver on this next package — and have more funding — we can produce more syringes and vials.”
She added that more funding will allow Moderna and Pfizer to more effectively distribute vaccines throughout the United States.
Bustos said Congress has a sense of urgency to get a new COVID relief package passed in March, when many of the previous package benefits expire.
“We are not going to get past the expiration date,” said Bustos. “That is pre-Biden Administration.”
The new $1.9 trillion COVID relief package will provide funding to local health departments throughout the country to assist in vaccinating more individuals, according to Bustos.
As far as vaccine availability, it’s not a matter of money, said Bustos.
“We have ordered hundreds of millions of doses now,” she said. “We will have enough doses paid for to vaccinate every American who wants to be vaccinated.”
As of right now, the Peoria City/County Health Department receives roughly 8,000 doses per month, according to Public Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson.
“We really would like to see more,” said Hendrickson.
The health department could vaccinate around 2,300 individuals a week at their locations, but some of the doses received go to hospital systems in the area.
Hendrickson said the area could support 10,000 – 15,000 doses per week between the health department, health systems and the Federally Qualified Health Center.
Bustos said she is “more than confident” that the United States will administer more than 100 million vaccine doses by President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office.
