A new mass vaccination site opening this weekend in Des Plaines that will become the first large-scale facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Illinois began making appointments Thursday afternoon.
The Cook County Health Department will open its fourth large-scale vaccination site at 1155 E. Oakton St. in Des Plaines on Friday or Saturday, pending the vaccine’s arrival, a publication said.
Residents were able to start making the necessary appointments at the new location at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Appointments can be made from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling (833) 308-1988.
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Cook County officials said they expect to provide nearly 3,500 doses per day once the vaccination site is “fully optimized” and the vaccine is available. Officials noted that the Des Planes site will be the first large-scale statewide facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“This is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19, and the provision of all three FDA-approved vaccines ensures that our residents get every vaccine option currently available,” said Toni Preckwinkle, chairman of the Cook County Board. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been 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 because it allows people to protect themselves in just one visit. “
More than 18,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will arrive in Cook County Thursday, the health department said Wednesday.
Vaccine deliveries from Johnson & Johnson began Monday, and Chicago and Illinois expect to receive an estimated dose of more than 100,000 by the end of the week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said doses are expected statewide, 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 massive vaccination centers around the state, while the remaining doses will be shipped to other providers, officials said. IDPH noted that total doses do not include doses to Chicago which will receive its own assignment.
In addition to the Des Plaines appointments, more than 100,000 seniors appointments are also open Thursday morning for the upcoming United Center, with plans to begin vaccinations next week.
Illinois announced the launch of the Des Plaines site on Wednesday, along with another location to open in Quincy.
“With our new offices in Des Plaines and Quincy, Illinois now operates 18 state-sponsored mass vaccination centers, in addition to the network of over 800 vaccination sites across the state, all trained on one goal: to vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Governor JB Pritzker in a statement. “One in six Illinois residents has already received their first dose of vaccine, and as the federal government increases deliveries to Illinois to more than 100,000 a day later this month, IDPH and our 97 local health departments are primed for the moment. In the meantime, I encourage all Illinois residents to wear their masks and remain vigilant as we move on to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. “