Press Releases
Year
Champaign County COVID-19 Vaccinations Expand
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2021
Contact
Julie Pryde, Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Champaign County COVID-19 Vaccinations Expand
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Expands Phase 1B COVID Vaccinations to Include Persons Age 65-74 with Underlying Health Conditions
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), in partnership with Carle Health, OSF HealthCare, Christie Clinic, Promise Healthcare, and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign will be hosting additional community-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics for Champaign County residents. The upcoming clinics will be held January 19-22, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by appointment only.
Next week’s clinics will serve anyone 75 years of age or older that did not previously receive a vaccine plus is expanding to include individuals age 65-74 with underlying health conditions - cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart disease, obesity, sickle cell disease, diabetes, smoking, and immune-compromised due to organ transplant.
Written documentation from the individual’s Primary Care Physician will not be required.
The community clinic will be held at the iHotel and Conference Center located at 1900 S. 1st Street, Champaign.
To register, please use one of the following methods:
- Preferred method is online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b054ca8a82ca5f94vaccine.
- Scheduling is also available by calling (217) 239-7877 but individuals may experience a longer wait time.
- Entrance for the clinic is through the east wing of the iHotel and Conference Center.
- If you do not feel well the day of your appointment, please call to reschedule.
Special notes:
- The Kohl’s Plaza vaccination site administered by Carle Health is full for the weeks of January 18th and 25th and is currently not accepting additional appointments. Those eligible will be contacted when additional clinic dates become available.
- Please refrain from contacting your healthcare provider to be placed on a wait list if you do not meet the requirements for the current phase.
“We are very excited as we move through this last phase of the pandemic. Vaccine distribution is rapidly changing so we ask everyone to please be patient as we are able to provide clinics and help our community return to normal. We will announce vaccination availability as quickly as possible so continue to watch CUPHD’s website and social media pages for updates,” said Public Health Administrator, Julie Pryde.
Patients will need to wear a face covering, practice social distancing, and plan to allow at least 15 minutes for observation after the vaccination. Please limit the number of individuals in your party that are not receiving the vaccine and wear clothing to allow easy access to the upper portion of the arm for the injection.
The cost of the vaccine is currently being covered by the federal government and most insurance plans cover the cost to deliver the shot. If you have questions about what your personal coverage is, call your health plan provider at the number on the back of your insurance card. It is important to know that no one will be turned away or receive a charge if they do not have health insurance.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has compiled a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccination. Information can be found at: http://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccine-faq.
To track the phases and local vaccinations, visit https://www.c-uphd.org/covid-vaccinations.html.
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Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Each Year; 48 Percent of Homes Tested in Champaign County have High Radon Levels
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2021
Contact
Jennifer Schroeder
Environmental Health Specialist II
(217) 531-2929 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264
Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Each Year; 48 Percent of Homes Tested in Champaign County have High Radon Levels
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Citizens to Test Their Homes with a Radon Test Kit
CHAMPAIGN, IL – January is National Radon Action Month and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages citizens to learn more about the threat of radon and to test their homes for the presence of radon. CUPHD has radon test kits available for $6.00. Test kits may be picked up at the Environmental Health Division of CUPHD located at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign; kits are available Monday through Friday from
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A free t-shirt is also available with purchase until supplies run out.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to indoor radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas released into the air from decaying matter in rocks, soil and water. While levels in outdoor air are relatively harmless, radon can accumulate to dangerous levels inside buildings. Radon is an invisible threat; it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. The only way to detect radon is to perform a radon test.
The test kits provided by CUPHD are safe and easy to use. Simply open the test kit, and place the radon detector in a designated area in the home for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed. After 48 hours, place the detector in the enclosed postage-paid envelope and send it to a lab for a free analysis. The lab will then inform you of your radon test results.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). The EPA recommends that homes with radon levels of 4 pCi/L or higher should be mitigated. Nationally the average home reading is about 1.3 pCi/L. The average outdoor reading is about 0.4 pCi/L. Forty-eight percent of homes tested in Champaign County have high radon levels.
Radon presents a serious health risk, but it can be controlled easily and cost-effectively. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family. Test your home and protect your health today.
For more information on radon or radon test kits for your home, please contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org/radon.
CUPHD also recommends schools test their buildings since kids and teachers spend a majority of their time at school. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has a School Screening Program available to help schools with the cost of performing radon testing. “To reduce the cost to school districts for the radon tests, the Illinois School Code allows school district employees to complete an online training course approved by IEMA in order to perform screening measurements in their district school buildings. By using a trained school district employee to conduct the tests, districts won't have the expense of hiring a licensed radon measurement contractor,” according to the IEMA website.
For more information on the School screening program, please visit https://www.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon/Pages/SchoolScreeningProgram.aspx or contact Patrick Daniels at IEMA,
The American Lung Association working with IEMA is having their annual radon awareness poster and video contests.
Links to last year’s winners of the poster and video contests (video and pictures included):
https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-poster
https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video
Last year’s winner from the Illinois video contest went on to win the National video contest. For more information, please look at the Illinois.gov press release: https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news-item.aspx?ReleaseID=22608
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Champaign County to Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2021
Contact
Julie Pryde, Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Champaign County to Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Announces Vaccinations Now Available for Champaign County Residents 75 Years of Age and Older
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), in partnership with Carle Health, OSF HealthCare, Christie Clinic, Promise Healthcare, and the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign are preparing two community-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics for Champaign County residents 75 years of age or older. The group will hold vaccination clinics January 12-14, 2021 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. by appointment only. Appointments are available at either community location regardless of where you receive medical care.
To register for a vaccination at the former Dress Barn store in the Kohl’s Plaza located at 1901 N. Market Street, Champaign, please use one of the following methods:
- The fastest way to register is online through MyCarle.
- Log in or sign up for MyCarle at MyCarle.com.
- Scheduling is also available by calling (217) 902-6100 but you may experience a longer wait time.
- If you do not feel well the day of your appointment, please call to reschedule.
To register for a vaccination at the iHotel and Conference Center located at 1900 S. 1st Street, Champaign, please use one of the following methods:
- Online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054CA8A82CA5F94-covid1.
- Scheduling is also available by calling (217) 239-7877.
- Entrance for the clinic will be through the east wing of the iHotel and Conference Center.
- If you do not feel well the day of your appointment, please call to reschedule.
The vaccination is free but providers may charge an administrative fee which is determined by an individual’s insurance coverage. If you have questions about your specific coverage, please call the number on the back of your insurance card. The two clinics provide an easy and accessible entrance and protection from the elements while accommodating the necessary social distancing. Patients will need to wear a face covering and plan to allow at least 15 minutes for observation after the vaccination. Please limit the number of individuals in your party that are not receiving the vaccine and wear clothing to allow easy access to the upper portion of the arm for the injection.
Pfizer and Moderna are both a two-dose series that are 90-95 percent effective after both vaccinations with the second dose either 21 or 28 days later as directed by the manufacturer. Individuals will receive information on how to sign up for text reminders for their second dose as well as receive a vaccination record card with their return date for the second dose.
The vaccine does not contain a live virus and you cannot get COVID from the vaccine. Some people may develop side effects from their body building immunity which includes soreness at the injection site, fever, headache or body aches. Symptoms should resolve in 24-48 hours. The body takes several weeks to build immunity so people could be infected just before receiving the vaccine or shortly after so continuing proven infection prevention measures is important. Continue to wear a mask, socially distance, wash hands frequently, and stay home if you are sick.
“It is important for people to understand pharmaceutical companies invested significant resources into quickly developing a vaccine for COVID-19 because of the urgent need for the vaccine worldwide. It does not mean they bypassed safety protocols or any phase of testing,” said Awais Vaid, Deputy Administrator and Epidemiologist, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccines are being held to the same safety standards as all vaccines. Factors that resulted in an accelerated vaccine development timeline where:
- Researchers used existing clinical trial networks to begin conducting COVID-19 vaccine trials.
- Manufacturing was started while the clinical trials were still underway. Normally, manufacturing doesn’t begin until after completion of the trials.
- mRNA vaccines are faster to produce than traditional vaccines.
- FDA and CDC are prioritizing review, authorization, and recommendation of COVID-19 vaccines.
For more information, visit the COVID-19 Prevention Network: https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/about-covpn.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has compiled a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccination. Information can be found at: http://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccine-faq.
To track the phases and local vaccinations, visit https://www.c-uphd.org/covid-vaccinations.html.
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