Illinois has followed a phased plan to distribute the available doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since the first vaccine was approved on December 11. So far, the FDA has approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and the one developed by Moderna.
The state’s distribution plan is in line with federal guidelines to prioritize health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities. Governor Pritzker announced on January 6 that the state would break federal guidelines and begin vaccinating residents over 65. Since then, federal recommendations have been updated to include people over 65.
The Illinois plan contains two phases, which are divided into sub-phases based on the supply and who is eligible for an injection. Phase 1, when a limited supply of available doses remains, contains subphases 1a, 1b and 1c.
The first vaccine shipment arrived in Illinois on December 14, and phase 1a began the next day with vaccinations by health professionals across the state.
Phase 1b expands eligibility for residents over 65, along with essential workers such as firefighters, grocery workers, teachers and inmates.
Phase 1c, while still providing limited vaccines, extends eligibility to people aged 16 to 64 with high-risk health conditions. It also includes additional categories of essential workers.
As soon as the supply increases sufficiently, vaccination will be opened for the remaining population of Illinois over 16 years old. The use of COVID-19 vaccines in young children has not yet been approved.
An outline of the state plan, with detailed explanations of who may be eligible at each phase of phase 1, is available here.
So far, most local health departments and the Illinois Department of Public Health are not providing specific estimates of when people will be able to receive vaccines. Public health departments in Chicago and its collar counties have released varying degrees of research and registration tools. For information on each of these tools, see the links for each municipality below.
The city of Chicago is vaccinating health workers, but officials announced on January 8 that they would continue vaccinating residents over 65. To date, no survey or registration tool has been launched for non-health workers in Chicago.
Employees with health clinics not associated with a hospital system are encouraged to complete the city survey to obtain more information on where and when they can be vaccinated.
If you are a health professional or other category of essential worker and live or work in the Cook district, you can complete this survey to indicate interest in receiving the vaccine. The Cook County Department of Public Health will provide more information about the timing of the vaccination, when available.
If you are an administrator or director of an essential health facility or workplace, the Cook County Department of Public Health has launched a separate survey to assess employers’ interest in vaccinating their workforce. You can access this survey here.
As soon as the vaccine supply increases, Cook County will follow state guidelines on opening vaccination to the general public. Most of these vaccinations will be carried out in hospitals, clinics and retail pharmacies.
The DuPage County Department of Health is following the state’s phased vaccination guidelines. Although the first phase is limited to essential workers, the elderly and high-risk individuals, authorities expect vaccinations to be more extensive in phase 2, when there is a greater supply.
If you are an essential worker, over 65 or under 65, but have a high-risk medical condition, the DuPage County Health Department asks you to complete this survey to receive weekly updates on when an appointment vaccine will be available. Please note that this does not count as registering or scheduling a vaccination appointment.
Kane County residents can complete a survey to receive updates and information about when vaccines will be available to them. Research is not limited to health professionals or other essential professionals.
All Lake County residents can use the county’s online registration system to be notified when the COVID-19 vaccine is available to them.
The municipality launched its AllVax portal, which differs from the surveys that other municipalities are offering. The Lake County system allows residents to enter their information and, if they are eligible for a vaccine, they can make an appointment immediately. Otherwise, they will be notified when they become eligible.
Lake County says it has had more than 175,000 residents registered through its portal, or about 25% of the county’s population.
McHenry County vaccine research is only for healthcare professionals who live and work in McHenry County. The form does not count as a vaccine registration and only signals interest in more information when it becomes available.
If you are an essential worker, but not a health care provider, over 65, or have a high-risk medical condition, McHenry County has a separate survey to complete. This research also indicates interest in the vaccine, but it is not a registration form.
Finally, if you are a resident of McHenry County, but do not fall into any of the above categories, the health department has a different form that you can complete to receive updates about the vaccine and notification when it is available to you. This form can be found here, more or less in the middle of the page.
The Will County Health Department is also adhering to the state’s phased vaccination approach, but they explicitly say that all Will County residents must complete this survey.
As soon as someone qualifies to be vaccinated, based on the phased plan, Will County Health will contact those who completed the survey to schedule an appointment.
“Be patient, we will contact you when it is your turn,” says the department on its website.
Chicago area veterans who meet eligibility requirements can now obtain the coronavirus vaccine at local Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Edward Hines, Jr. VA hospital in the suburb of Maywood is offering coronavirus vaccines to veterans over 65 or those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk. Veterans must be Hines enrolled patients.
To see the criteria for receiving a vaccine from Hines, click here. If you meet the criteria, call Hines VA at 708-202-2707 or 708-202-7000 to schedule your vaccination appointment.
The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago is also offering coronavirus vaccines to veterans 65 and older, or those in high-risk health categories. Jesse Brown patients who meet these criteria will be contacted to schedule appointments.
Veterans served by the Lovell Federal Health Center in Lake County are eligible to be vaccinated if they are 75 years of age or older, or if they are chemotherapy, dialysis or transplant patients. Lovell will call patients who meet the criteria to schedule vaccination appointments.