A new community vaccination site in Des Plaines will be the first large-scale facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Illinois, Cook County Health announced on Wednesday.
The health department will open its fourth large-scale vaccination site at 1155 E. Oakton St. in Des Plaines on Friday or Saturday, pending the arrival of the vaccine, according to a statement.
“This is a critical moment in our fight against COVID-19 and the provision of all three vaccines approved by the FDA ensures that our residents have all the vaccine options currently available,” said Cook County Council President Toni Preckwinkle. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has proven to be safe and effective in protecting people from serious illness and death. The fact that it is a single dose vaccine is exciting, as it allows people to protect themselves in just one visit. “
Cook County officials said they hope to deliver about 3,500 doses a day once the vaccination site is “fully optimized” and the vaccine is available. The authorities noted that the Des Planes website is the first large-scale facility across the state to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Residents can begin making appointments for the required coronavirus vaccine at the new location on Thursday at 1pm. Appointments can be made from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling (833) 308-1988.
For more information on how to apply for a coronavirus vaccine in Illinois, visit the NBC 5 vaccination guide here.
“This location is indicative of our ongoing commitment to distribute vaccines in Cook County, in what we hope will be one of the largest vaccine programs in the country,” said Israel Rocha Jr., CEO of Cook County Health. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is another tool in our fight against COVID-19, and we are excited to provide our residents with another highly effective vaccine that will help keep people out of the hospital and prevent deaths.”
More than 18,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are due to arrive in Cook County on Thursday, the health department said on Wednesday.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine shipments began on Monday, with Chicago and Illinois hoping to receive an estimated dose count of over 100,000 by the end of the week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said doses are expected across the state, with about 22,000 planned for Chicago and another 83,000 for the remaining regions.
More than 90% of the newly authorized vaccine will go to mass vaccination sites across the state, with the remaining doses sent to other providers, officials said. IDPH noted that the total doses do not include those going to Chicago, which will receive its own allocation.