Starting Tuesday, seven massive vaccination centers will open in the outskirts of Cook County, as Illinois begins the next phase of vaccine introduction, opening doses to “key frontline workers” and those 65 and older.
The locations are managed with the help of the Illinois National Guard and include:
North Riverside Health Center of Cook County Health
1800 South Harlem Avenue, North Riverside
Cook County Health’s Robbins Health Center
13450 South Kedzie Avenue, Robbins
Cook County Health’s Morton East Adolescent Health Center
2423 South Austin Boulevard, Cicero
Cook County Health’s Cottage Grove Health Center
1645 Cottage Grove Avenue, Ford Heights
Cook County Health Blue Island 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 opens up vaccinations to a variety of groups, including first responders, education workers such as teachers and support staff, childcare workers, grocery store workers, mail carriers, and more.
Launched a website Monday afternoon for Cook County residents to receive information and make appointments as it becomes available. (Click here for more. A call center also goes live at noon, at (833) 308-1988.)
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accompanied by Cook County Board Chairman Toni Preckwinkle, visited the Tinley Park mass vaccination site Monday, which opens Tuesday.
“Large-scale vaccination sites will allow us to get these life-saving vaccine doses to Illinoisans quickly and efficiently as more federal shipments of vaccines come online,” Pritzker said 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 Cook County collaboration overall, and there will be many more come into the state. “
Appointments are required, according to Tinley Park village, which said 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 site is fully optimized and an adequate vaccine is available.”
The governor said current vaccination sites in the state are available by appointment only, but the state plans to launch walk-in sites in the coming weeks.
There are several ways eligible residents can get vaccinated, but government officials have urged patience as they enter the new phase.
As of Monday, National Guard-led sites began vaccinating residents eligible for Phase 1B, as well as sites at Jewel Osco and Walgreens, Pritzker said, noting that CFS is expected to “soon follow.”
By Feb. 1, more pharmacies, including Hy-Vee, Mariano’s and Kroger, will also begin vaccinations, Pritzker said.
For a full overview of everything we know about Phase 1B vaccinations, click here.
Additional vaccination sites will be opened statewide, including hundreds of additional pharmacy providers coming online through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to the state’s website.
“As the state advances its plan and continues to build capacity, smaller independent pharmacies, emergency care clinics, doctor’s offices and workplaces will all come online to serve as vaccination sites,” the state’s website said. “Additional teams of the [Illinois National Guard] will also deploy in regions in the state to set up new locations and expand additional capacity at existing locations. “