The next phase means that everyone over the age of 65 and a larger group of essential workers is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. That group includes people in correctional facilities, employees in supermarkets, daycare centers and educators.
That’s cause for celebration, but there are still concerns about the speed at which photos can be taken.
Where can you get vaccinated?
If you’re in one of those groups, there are four places eligible residents can get vaccinated.
Most will go through their healthcare provider, while others will have to go through pharmacies, mass vaccination sites, or through their employer.
Before you go to any of those locations, however, officials warn that vaccines will be by appointment only.
“Don’t try to queue at your local store or call your local pharmacy. If we get a steady stream of vaccines from the federal government, we’ll start walk-in locations and operate around the clock,” Gov. JB Pritzker said on Friday.
CLICK HERE: Coronavirus Illinois: Distribution of COVID Vaccines by County, Region
Officials said people can expect it to take a while before you can even make an appointment because there simply isn’t enough vaccine to meet the demand.
“There are 3.2 million Illinoisans in Phase 1B, so at least in the short term there will be much more demand than supply,” added Gov. Pritzker admits.
Demand versus supply
The lack of supplies affects both the city and the state.
So far, Illinois reports that more than 680,000 vaccines have been administered to date.
State health officials are already building the capacity, so as soon as more vaccines come in, they will be ready. That includes creating a website to sign up for appointments.
Website of the vaccine finder
“We need to make sure the community is involved because if the trust factor isn’t there with the community and our government officials, it won’t work in the end,” said Juan Rangel, resident of Little Village.
The Equitable Vaccines Coalition is a growing group of educators, community organization leaders and facility operators. On Sunday, they called for an accelerated process to get vaccines to communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
“We have everyone here to make sure all hands are on deck, to make sure that when the vaccines come, we can use those vaccines to get into people’s arms,” said Dr. Tariq Butt from the Chicago Medical Society.
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“What better way than to bring in the community; faith-based schools – that’s absolutely an essential way to try and reach the community in the most trustworthy way,” said Representative Lisa Hernandez, (D) 24th District.
Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for the vaccine yet, as there are a few more things that need to be done before those currently eligible can get their first chance.
The state health authorities are asking for patience as there are currently not enough vaccines.
President Biden is now trying to address that by ramping up production with a new goal of getting 100 million people vaccinated in the first 100 days of his administration. However, some doctors said we should be able to move on.
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“That’s a floor, it’s not a ceiling. It’s also a goal that reflects the reality of what we stand for,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, Pres. Biden’s nominee for Surgeon General.
Both the city and state are expected to provide more information in the coming days on where to sign up for the vaccine.
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