As of Tuesday, seven mass vaccination sites will have been opened in the suburb of Cook County, while Illinois begins the next phase of its vaccine launch, opening doses for “essential frontline workers” and 65-year-olds. or more.
Operated with the help of the Illinois National Guard, the locations include:
Cook County Health North Riverside Health Center
1800 South Harlem Avenue, North Riverside
Cook County Robbins Health Center
South Kedzie Avenue, 13450, Robbins
Cook County Morton East Teen Health Center
2423 South Austin Boulevard, Cicero
Cook County Health Cottage Grove Health Center
1645 Cottage Grove Avenue, Ford Heights
Cook Island Blue Island Health Health Center
12757 S Western Ave, Blue Island
Cook County Health Arlington Heights Health Center
3250 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Suite 300, Arlington Heights
Tinley Park Convention Center
18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park
Phase 1B offers vaccinations to various groups, including first responders, education workers such as teachers and support staff, daycare workers, supermarket workers, postal workers and more.
A website was launched at noon on Monday for Cook County residents to receive information and book appointments as they become available. (Click on here for more. A call center will also start operating at noon, at (833) 308-1988.)
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accompanied by Cook County Council President Toni Preckwinkle, visited the mass vaccination site in Tinley Park on Monday, which is due to open on Tuesday.
“The widespread vaccination sites will allow us to deliver these life-saving doses of vaccine to residents of Illinois quickly and efficiently, as more federal vaccine shipments go online,” said Pritzker in a statement. “The Illinois National Guard and the Illinois Department of Public Health are proud to partner with Cook County to launch the Tinley Park Convention Center Vaccination Site – our seventh collaboration in Cook County overall, with many others appearing in the state. “
Appointments are mandatory, according to the village of Tinley Park, which states that appointments can only be made through state and county websites.
County officials expect to be able to administer up to 3,000 vaccines per day “when the Tinley Park location is fully optimized and when the right vaccine is available”.
The governor said that current vaccination sites in the state are available by appointment only, but that the state plans to launch vaccination posts in the coming weeks.
There are several ways that eligible residents can be vaccinated, but state officials have asked for patience while the new phase opens.
As of Monday, National Guard-led sites began vaccinating residents eligible for Phase 1B, as well as sites in Jewel Osco and Walgreens, said Pritzker, noting that CVS is expected to “move on soon”.
On February 1, more pharmacies, including Hy-Vee, Mariano’s and Kroger, will also start vaccinating, said Pritzker.
For a complete overview of everything we know about Phase 1B vaccinations, click here.
Additional vaccination sites are scheduled to open across the state, including hundreds of online pharmacy providers through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to the state’s website.
“As the state moves forward with its plan and continues to build capacity, smaller independent pharmacies, urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices and workplaces will all be online to serve as vaccination sites,” says the state website. “Additional teams from [Illinois National Guard] it will also be deployed in regions across the state to build new sites and develop additional capacity at existing sites. “