WOOD RIVER — Madison County Health Department launched a new online appointment scheduler and special phone number for COVID-19 vaccination appointments on Thursday.
Madison County Director of Public Health Toni Corona said the new appointment scheduler and phone number went live at 2 p.m. for 1,836 slots of the first dose at two clinics. She said the scheduler and phone number provides equitability for the community so that people who did not complete the Vaccination Registration Survey in January have an opportunity to schedule an appointment.
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“There are three different ways to schedule a vaccine appointment in Madison County,” Corona said. “We ask that the public only use one way and only schedule one time for one place.”
She said that people who schedule for more than one time are taking appointment slots away from others who also want or need a vaccine appointment.
The three ways include:
- Online appointment scheduler for those who DID NOT complete the registration survey in January. https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/acd6dc32172747dbbf2548e922bd8433?portalUrl=https://gisportal.co.madison.il.us/portal
- Special phone number for those who do not have access to a computer or need help scheduling an appointment. Call 618-650-8445.
- Vaccination Registration Survey respondents who completed the survey in January will receive and email in regards to scheduling their vaccination appointment when it’s their turn.
“We will be providing appointments simultaneously to people who completed the survey, people who did not complete the survey and people who do not have computer access or need help making an appointment,” Corona said.
Corona wants to remind people if they filled out the survey, please do not use the online appointment scheduler.
“The Health Department has their information and we will be contacting them,” she said. “Once they receive the email notification, we ask that they do not share the link or passcode as it secures a time slot to schedule their vaccine.”
There are limited slots for the online scheduler and phone number and it’s for the 1st dose of the vaccine. After receiving the first vaccine MCHD will contact the individual to schedule the second dose.
“We know the slots will fill up early, but we are asking that people remain patient,” Corona said. “There will be more appointments added as more doses of the vaccine become available to the county.”
She wants to assure everyone that there will be enough vaccines for those who live and work in Madison County who want one. As of Wednesday, there have been 16,242 doses administered in the county.
“Due to the number of people desiring the vaccine, it will take months to get all individuals scheduled,” she said. “More clinics are being planned and the National Guard will be coming in later this month to provide additional vaccinators and support staff.”
Madison County will hold educator vaccine clinics on Saturday for teachers who work in public, private and parochial schools. Prioritization and scheduling are coming through the Madison County Regional Office of Education (ROE) and the schools/school districts. Please DO NOT use the online appointment scheduler or phone number, as the educator clinic dates will not be on them. The ROE has a separate scheduler just for educator clinics.
Links to the online scheduler link and the special phone number are also posted MCHD social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or visit www.madisonchd.org or the COVID-19 Response Hub https://coronavirus-response-madcoil.hub.arcgis.com/ to learn more.
