National Guard helps administer COVID-19 vaccine

With COVID-19 vaccinations becoming available to the public, the Illinois National Guard and the Jackson County Health Department have begun administering the vaccine at the Banterra Center to eligible community members.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Sara Ranchino receives her first vaccination Feb. 20, 2021 at the Banterra Center in Carbondale Ill. “What it means to me I guess mostly is trying to get our lives back to normal or the way it used to be,” Ranchino said.

According to the Jackson County Press Release, as part of Governor Pritzker’s expansion of COVID-19 vaccinations in southern Illinois, the Carbondale Civic Center and the SIU Banterra Center will be sites for mass vaccination clinics. Both locations are operating Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. 

Currently, residents who are eligible for Phase 1a and 1b include health care workers, long-term care residents, those who are 65 years old or older, and “frontline” essential workers. Beginning Feb. 25, 2021, residents who are between the ages of 16 and 64 with certain underlying health conditions will also become eligible for the vaccine. 

The Illinois Department of Health stated that the vaccine consists of two doses that are taken approximately three weeks apart. To receive a vaccination, an appointment must be made in advance.

Staff Photographer Sophie Whitten can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @swhitten_. To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

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