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(WSIL) --��Positive cases of COVID-19 are surging in Illinois as the holidays approach.��

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has partnered with SHIELD Illinois to��offer 20 free community COVID-19 PCR rapid testing before the holidays. The State is also hosting more than 75 vaccination events through the holiday season, offering residents the opportunity to get vaccinated or boosted at sites in their communities.��

“Illinois is leading the Midwest in vaccinating and boosting our residents, and we are adding even more ways to make it easier to get vaccinated and boosted,”��said Governor JB Pritzker.��“We appreciate the new federal resources to fight this omicron wave, and ask everyone to continue to follow our mask mandate and to make safe choices.��

In southern Illinois the testing site is:

• Massac Memorial Hospital
• 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• 28 Chick Street, Metropolis, IL 62940

In addition to doctor’s offices, pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), and local health departments, the State of Illinois offers one-day vaccine clinics throughout the state through the Community Partners Vaccination Program (CPVP).��

Within the last two weeks, the Community Partners program administered more than 8,000 through one-day partnerships with Cook County Health.����������

At these state-run vaccination clinics, vaccines are available to any Illinois resident, and no appointment, no identification or health insurance will be required.

• Dec. 23
• Randolph County Health Department
  • 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • 2515 State Street, Chester
  • Adult��Pfizer, Moderna, J&J
• Dec. 27
• Fraternal Order of Eagles
  • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • 1206 W Linden Street, Carbondale
  • Adult Pfizer, Moderna, J&J
• Dec. 29
• Alexander/Pulaski County NAACP - First Missionary Baptist Church
  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • 727 37th Street, Cairo
  • Adult Pfizer, Moderna, J&J

Booster Eligibility

All three vaccines offer booster doses.�� Health officials are encouraging those who are fully vaccinated to receive a booster dose to maximize the protection from COVID-19.����While adults have the ability to mix-and-match their booster vaccine, 16- and 17-year-olds are only authorized to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech booster.��

• ��Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Booster: 16 years and older
  • Six months after second Pfizer-BioNTech dose
• Moderna
  • Booster: 18 years and older
  • Six months after second Moderna dose
• Johnson & Johnson
  • Booster: 18 years and older
  • Two months after initial vaccination

If you are unable to attend one of these clinics, you can visit����to find a clinic near you.

The State is also offering staff assistance to hospitals through private staffing contracts, with over 1,100 healthcare staff deployed to hospitals across the state to date. This is in addition to the work to provide hospitals monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) and antiviral treatments as quickly as they are made available.

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