Champaign Urbana Public Health District Opens Eligibility for the Covid-19 Vaccine for All Residents 16+.
What That Means For Your 16-year-old or 17-year-old
With Champaign County opening COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone age 16 and up beginning April 5, options are becoming available to get the youngest members of that group a vaccine — but you’ll need to pay attention because the situation can offer some intricacies.
The first thing to know is vital: If you are looking to vaccinate a 16- or 17-year-old, your only option at this point is the Pfizer vaccine. It is the only vaccine that currently is approved for use in those ages.
(The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are only available for those 18 and up.)
With that in mind, you’ll need to know where you can get the Pfizer dose, which requires two shots separated by three weeks.
Demand remains high in Champaign County, and although all 16- and 17-year-olds are eligible now, how soon you are able to score an appointment for a teen may test your patience a bit.
While those age 18 and up have more outlets to obtain the vaccine, here are the options for 16- and 17-year-olds (this information is good for the week of April 5):
—Vaccine Spotter website: This site constantly scans appointment openings at Illinois pharmacies, which includes a range of local stores. For example, on Monday there were appointments for the Pfizer vaccine available at multiple Walgreens locations in Danville. You can use the site’s settings to search for appointments for a particular vaccine — in the case of a 16- or 17-year-old, you’ll have to set the drop-down menu to Pfizer — or a particular brand of pharmacy.
—Promise Healthcare (819 Bloomington Road, Champaign): To register, call the COVID Care line at (217) 403-5402. Individuals will need to register as a patient.
—Carle, Kohl’s Plaza (1901 N. Market St., Champaign): For safety, patients aged 16-17 must call (217) 902-6100 to schedule to ensure the available vaccine matches the manufacturer’s guidance for administration. (Anyone 18 and older can schedule through MyCarle.com.) NOTE: You do not need to be a Carle patient to use this service.
–Walgreens: Visit the Walgreens website for available appointments at Champaign-Urbana area appointments.
If you’re willing to drive a bit further:
– Expand your settings on the Vaccine Spotter website. Pharmacies do not have residency requirements, however eligibility is typically determined by each county, meaning that you might have to wait until April 12. The good news: 80 counties have already expanded eligibility to everyone 16+, including most of those within 90 minutes of Champaign-Urbana: Coles, Piatt, Macon, McLean, Peoria, Kankakee, Iroquois, Ford, Edgar, Effingham, Douglas and Vermilion.
– There is a National Guard vaccination site at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield that is not limited by any residency requirements, and has Pfizer available. Sangamon County has expanded eligibility to anyone 16+. More info here.
– There is another statewide site in Carbondale, which is open to anyone eligible 16+ and has Pfizer appointments. More info here.