COVID 19 vaccine appointments for the United Center can now be scheduled at Zocdoc.com/vaccine and by phone, while a new site in Des Plaines is also accepting new appointments.
A total of 110,000 appointments have been made available for the United Center’s massive vaccination site. The first appointments are open for seniors on Thursday at 8:30 am. After the senior enrollment period, anyone eligible for a vaccine as part of the Phase 1B + group can schedule appointments on Sunday, March 7 at 4:00 PM.
As of 3 p.m., 27,819 seniors had signed up for appointments at the United Center.
To register for an appointment at the United Center, go to www.zocdoc.com/vaccine or call the multilingual hotline (312) 746-4835 Monday through Saturday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and Sunday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
“I think it’s a fairer system to put all availability in one place, instead of having hidden boxes where you have to use the system or your connections need to work,” said Oliver Kharraz, founder and CEO of Zocdoc.
Chicago’s Dept. of Public Health and the Chicago Fire Department are collaborating on a pilot program that will bring vaccines to home-bound seniors. Paramedics will administer vaccines to residents’ homes if they cannot travel to a vaccination site. Interested parties can complete a survey at: https://redcap.link/MobileCOVIDVax.
While tens of thousands of appointments are available, organizers are asking for patience as the massive demand threatens to overwhelm the system; the online login portal crashed during the first half hour it was open.
“Some people couldn’t get through it right away, you know, it’s just a sign of how much demand there is for appointments,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “Bu, you know, in about 20 to 30 minutes everything was up and running smoothly.”
Registering was a breeze for 70-year-old Paul Penzick; it only took about 10 minutes for him to sign up for his appointment when he tried around 9am
“I was expecting a nightmare and it just flew through,” he said. “It’s not that relieved. I’m no longer frustrated.”
Gabriel Alvavara drove from Prospect Heights to the United Center site, looking for a number to call to get a slot for when the site opens next week. He has diabetes and cholesterol problems.
“I work at Goodwill and I’m scared because everyone has the second and I need the first,” said Alvavara.
At 8:30 am, Zocdoc was ready for seniors 65 and older to schedule their first vaccine at the United Center. Alvavara called the multilingual hotline 200 times with no luck.
ABC7 tried to make an appointment at Zocdoc, but was sent in circles.
“I don’t know what happened here in Chicago, but I’m looking for someone to help me,” Alvavara said.
Alvavara was able to reach the phone line at 10:00 am and was put on hold.
An organization trying to help immigrants and undocumented migrants register online also said the system turned out to be frustrating. The alternative, calling the phone line, was even worse.
“We’ve been on hold for so long, you know, on hold for 20, 30, 40 minutes to get someone,” said Sarah Walker of Right 2 Family Vaccine Campaign. And in the end they never got to the hotline.
Dr. Arwady said the system is equipped to handle about 600 calls at any one time, so the amount of demand will affect how easy or difficult it is to get through.
“But keep calling,” she said. ‘There are agreements, and then we will work to get people in.’
Several people came to the United Center confused by all the information from the past weeks and days.
Ferry Jordan thought she had an appointment and could be vaccinated on Thursday. She showed up only to be rejected.
“But it’s okay with all these massive vaccinations,” Jordan said. ‘I can understand that. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but you ask questions and you keep trying. ‘
Officials stressed that appointments cannot be made on the spot and must be notified online or by phone.
Zocdoc expects all 110,000 vaccination appointments at the UC to be fully booked Thursday, with an estimated demand of 300 bookings per minute, or more than 18,000 per hour.
“I think there is a good chance that all 110,000 will go,” said Kharraz. “I think there is still a lot more demand for the vaccine than there is supply.”
ABC 7 has been informed that some of those appointments, a whopping 19%, will be spent on the call center. But some would like the system to do more to target communities of color.
“A weighted lottery system,” stated Dr. Marina Del Rios, Vaccine Corp Partnership. ‘Or else at least you have a list of priority people. If you are in these specific zip codes and in these specific communities, you will get the first dibs. ‘
VIEW | Des Plaines mass vaccination site opens Thursday
Located in a former K-Mart store, the new mass vaccination site in Des Plaines is one of the largest, if not the largest, in the northwestern suburbs. It opens Thursday, and officials hope to begin vaccinations Friday or Saturday for the people in Phase 1B.
Appointments for the Des Plaines mass vaccination site can be made starting Thursday at 1pm at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by phone at (833) 308-1988. The site is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 7pm
The chairman of the Cook County Board, Toni Preckwinkle, was joined by other government officials on Wednesday as she toured this new venue at 1155 East Oakton Street in Des Plaines.
The National Guard-supported site will be the first in Cook County to use the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The province expects 18,000 J&J doses from the federal government on Thursday. The goal is to vaccinate up to 3,500 people per day.
“Because Johnson & Johnson is a single-dose vaccine, patients don’t have to worry about scheduling a second appointment,” said Israel Rocha, Jr., CEO of Cook County Health. “That’s an advantage we can afford to make sure we can see even more individuals through sites like today.”
“We will continue to insist on patience in this vaccination process. As we know, the supply of vaccines is limited, and while it is improving, we still cannot meet demand,” said Preckwinkle.
This Des Plaines location is the fourth large-scale vaccination center in the suburbs of Cook County, along with facilities in Tinley Park, River Grove and South Holland. That’s in addition to National Guard-supported sites in several Cook County health centers.
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