Walgreens is offering coronavirus vaccinations at nearly 80 new locations in Illinois, state officials announced Thursday.
The 78 new vaccination sites bring the total number of sites of the pharmacy chain offering coronavirus vaccines in Illinois to 170.
Earlier this week, the White House announced a new federal program that will bring 39,300 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Walgreens locations in Illinois every week.
The additional doses will be distributed under a new Federal Retail Pharmacy Program announced Tuesday. Illinois and Chicago are two of the 15 jurisdictions where Walgreens will offer these additional doses.
These thousands of additional doses are in addition to the supply that Walgreens is already receiving through the Illinois Department of Public Health. Additional vaccinations through the new federal partnership will begin Feb. 11, according to the White House.
For a full rundown on where to get the Illinois coronavirus vaccine or how to get vaccine information for your area, click here.
In addition to the Walgreens, Illinois also announced the addition of two National Guard-led vaccination sites, bringing the total number of sites added to 80 this week.
A total of 390 vaccination sites have been opened in the state since the vaccinations began.
More than 3.2 million residents of the state are eligible for Phase 1B vaccinations, including people 65 and older and “frontline workers”.
Current vaccination sites in the state are available by appointment only, but the state plans to launch walk-in sites in the coming weeks, officials previously said.
Despite the added locations, officials in Illinois continue to push for patience and say vaccine offerings are limited.
“As we work to increase the number of vaccines administered daily, we are limited by the amount of vaccines available and allocated by the federal government,” said the Illinois Gov.’s office. JB Pritzker in a press release. “Vaccinations are currently only available by appointment and we encourage people to regularly check back on open appointments. Until supply increases, there will be high demand and we ask people to be patient. Individuals should sign up for an appointment. appointment to get their second dose while they get their first vaccination. “